Bellanca 14-13-2
Cruisair Senior NC74496
(c/n 1591)
The Bellanca Crusair was first introduced in 1937 and
production was carried on after WW II.
Both pre-war and post-war
models are basically the same. The photographs above and
below
were both obtained
from the Bellanca Aircraft Company long before its assets were
purchased by
Northern Aircraft
(which became Downer Industries) in 1959. They both depict the
same aircraft,
NC74496 which was a
run of the mill production model. (i.e. not a company
demonstrator). The
shot at the foot of
the page was taken at a Fly-In at Person County Airport, Roxboro, NC in
May
2011 and shows a
beautifully restored 14-13-2 which came in from Virginia.
Although ostensibly a four-seater, the accommodations for
a long trip tended to be a trifle cramped.
Nevertheless the Bellancas have an excellent turn of speed
and have been known to approach the
advertised cruising speed
of 180 m.p.h. IAS. An fairly complete history of the
Cruisair
Senior can
be found on the
Smithsonian's site at:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/bellanc2.htm
NC74432
(c/n 1545)
