Antonov An-14
The Antonov An-14 Pchelka ("Little Bee", NATO reporting name Clod) was a Soviet utility aircraft which was first flown on 15 March 1958. It was a twin-engined light STOL utility transport, with two 300 hp Ivchenko AI-14RF radial piston engines.
Production
The prototype was built in 1957 and the first test flight took place March 15, 1958, it was then equipped with 260 hp Ivchenko AI-14R engines. The aircraft was to be in service with Aeroflot) in 1959, but delays were taken, related to limited development capacity of the Antonov bureau (OKB-153), and also difficulties in launching the Antonov An-10. After eight years of modifications, replacement of engines and propellers, production finally began in 1965 at the Arsenyev plant near Vladivostok. The Antonov An-14 entered service in 1966 and about 300 exemplars were produced until 1972. The aircraft failed in being a successful successor of the Antonov An-2. It certainly was a rustic aircraft, but the last An-14 left production lines in 1992.
The An-14's successor, the Antonov An-28, with turboprop engines, is still manufactured at PZL Mielec factories in Poland under the names PZL M28 Skytruck and PZL M28B Bryza.
A downgraded version with 160 hp M11FR engines, called Capital No. 1, was produced by the People Republic of China.
With very stable flight characteristics, the An-14 could be flown by most after a few hours of basic training. A small number of An-14 are still in airworthy condition.
Operators
- Afghanistan : The Afghan Air Force operated 12 from 1985 through 1991..
- Bulgaria : Bulgarian Air Force.
- East Germany : East German Air Force.
- Mongolia : Mongolian People's Air Force- operated 2 from early 1970s through 1980.
- Guinea : Military of Guinea.
- Soviet Union :
— — — = = — — —
This text stays aircraftube.com©´s property, before its full or partial integration to Wikipedia.