Thunderbird W-14
Thunderbird Aircraft · United States · first flew 1926 · light aircraft
The Thunderbird W-14 was a small three-seat American biplane passenger transport. It first flew in 1926 and entered production, improved, in 1927.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Upper wing carried over the fuselage on cabane struts, with N-form interplane struts and 20 inches of stagger |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Unequal-span single-bay biplane with rectangular wings and rounded tips
- Upper wing carried over the fuselage on cabane struts, with N-form interplane struts and 20 inches of stagger
- Two open cockpits in tandem, the forward one largely under the upper wing
Look for a small open-cockpit biplane with a rounded fin, a semi-circular tailplane and a large rudder. The upper wing is longer than the lower and sits on cabane struts.
Specifications
- The Thunderbird W-14 has a length of 7.47 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 190 km/h (118 mph).
- Typical crew: 1-3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed in 1926 by the W-F-W Aircraft Corporation, which later became Thunderbird Aircraft Inc. of Glendale, California. The prototype first flew on 11 July 1926 with a Curtiss OX-5 engine.
Variants
Production aircraft could have 95 hp Dayton Bear, 120 hp Bailey Bull's Eye, 150 hp Axelson or 140 hp Hispano A engines. The W-14-O with the OX-5 had a laminated-spar wing and a steel-braced fuselage.
Where you'll see it
Between 40 and 50 were built from 1927 to 1929, popular with flying clubs around Los Angeles. Some were used in the Philippines until the Japanese invasion and others were exported to Canada.
Related aircraft
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