Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel
Mignet · France · first flew 1933 · light aircraft
The Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel ('Flying Flea') was a tiny French homebuilt aircraft of the 1930s featuring a novel tandem-wing layout without a conventional tailplane, designed to be built by amateurs with minimal woodworking skills.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 4.27 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Tandem two-wing 'Flying Flea' with no conventional tail
- Tiny homebuilt with pivoting front wing for pitch control
- Distinctive twin staggered wings without a horizontal tailplane
Unmistakable — an extremely small aircraft with two broad wings in tandem, the front one pivoting for control, no tailplane, and a small vertical fin; resembles a motorised kite more than a conventional aeroplane.
Specifications
- The Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel has a length of 4.27 m (14 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 138 km/h (86 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Henri Mignet published construction plans in 1934 and thousands were built worldwide as the design promised simple, safe flying. A series of fatal accidents caused by an unrecoverable diving tendency led to the design being banned in France and the UK in 1936, though the flaw was later corrected.
Variants
Mignet produced numerous refined versions through to the HM.293 in the 1960s, resolving the original pitch instability; many homebuilt variants also appeared.
Where you'll see it
Purely civil; no military service. Remains a popular homebuilt type in corrected form.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.