from Culver’s PQ-14 target drone (the target drones arose from the Culver Cadet design). The Mooney brothers revived
their own company, Mooney Aircraft Corporation, in mid-1946. The Mooney Series 18 received certification in mid-1948. The Mite was a single-place, low-wing airplane with a steerable nose wheel and fully retractable landing gear—with what is now known as that distinctive, forward-swept tail.
MODELS As of May 2020, there were 102 Mites on the FAA Registry. The Mite population is slowly dwindling; and though historical sources differ as to the precise number manufactured, there were likely around 283 Mites produced from 1948 through 1955. As many airplanes do, the Mite evolved through the years; eventually five models were built. Of the Mites known to be surviving today, the Registry lists 49 of the Model M-18C; 14 of the Model M-18C-55; 28 of the Model M-18L; 10 of the Model M-18LA, and one Model M-18.
The M-18 was powered by the
Crosley Cobra engine, which was invented by Lloyd Taylor in 1943. The liquid-cooled, four-cylinder, steel stamped and copper brazed (hence the name Cobra) engine produced 25 hp and was used in Crosley automobiles at the time. But as it turned out, these engines had some problems and the M-18 needed more horsepower, so Mooney replaced them with 65 hp Lycoming engines. Thereafter, the M-18 models were powered by either a 65 hp Lycoming O-145 or a 65 hp Continental A65, with varying gross weights, fuel capacity, and range. The M-18 was the smallest certificated airplane in production at the time. Mooney Aircraft, Incorporated, relocated from Wichita, Kansas, to
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Kerrville, Texas, in 1953. They devised a new advertising campaign for the M-18C and M-18LA to epitomize the airplane’s efficient aerodynamics and thrifty operating costs. Dubbing it the “Wee Scotsman,” they painted its vertical stabilizer in a Scottish-
plaid paint scheme, replete with 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective material. Promotional materials for the
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“Wee Scotsman” proclaimed: “I’ll make your pennies go further, for I’ll take you farther for your pennies. I’ll take you a FULL MILE for every
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