View source for Antonov An-14

{{Short description|1958 utility aircraft family by Antonov}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = An-14 Pchelka or Bdzhilka
 |image = 01 Red Antonov An.14A Russian Air Force (7985634953).jpg
 |caption = Preserved An-14 on public display.
 |type = [[Utility aircraft|Utility transport]]
 |manufacturer = [[Antonov]]
 |designer =
 |first_flight = 15 March 1958
 |introduction = [[1966 in aviation|1966]]
 |retired =
 |produced = 1965–1972
 |number_built = 332
 |status = In limited service as private aircraft 
 |unit cost =
 |primary_user = [[Soviet Air Force]]
 |more_users = [[Aeroflot]]<br>[[Afghan Air Force]]<br>[[Air Forces of the National People's Army|East German Air Force]]
 |developed_from =
 |variants = 
 |developed_into = [[Antonov An-28]]
}}
[[File:An 14 plane registration LZ-7001.jpg|thumb|Antonov An-14 registration LZ-7001 ([[Balkan Bulgarian Airlines]])]]
[[File:Preserved An-14.jpg|thumb|Antonov An-14A]]
[[File:An-14 (СССР-81550).jpg|thumb|An-14]]

The '''Antonov An-14 Pchelka''' or '''Pchyolka''', '''Bdzhilka''' ({{langx|uk|«Бджілка»}}, "Little Bee", [[NATO reporting name]]: '''Clod''')<ref name="jawa76 p404-5">Taylor 1976, pp. 404–405.</ref> is a Soviet [[utility aircraft]] which was first flown on 15 March 1958.<ref name="Stroud p65">Stroud 1968, p. 65.</ref> It was a twin-engined light [[STOL]] utility transport, with two 300&nbsp;hp [[Ivchenko AI-14]]RF [[Radial engine|radial piston engine]]s. Serial production started in 1966, and about 300 examples were built by the time production ended in 1972. The An-14 failed to replace the more successful [[An-2]] biplane, which was manufactured until 1990; the An-2 is still manufactured{{when?|date=August 2023}} on special order. The An-14's successor, the [[An-28]] with turboprop engines, is still manufactured{{when?|date=August 2023}} at [[PZL Mielec]] factories in Poland, under the names [[PZL M28 Skytruck]] and [[PZL M28B Bryza]].

With very stable flight characteristics, the An-14 could be flown by most pilots after a few hours of basic training. A small number of An-14s are still in airworthy condition.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

== History ==
The development goal was a plane that was easy to fly and could be used as a light passenger and cargo transport as well as [[agricultural aircraft]] and [[air medical services|air ambulance]]. The [[maiden flight]] took place on March 15, 1958. [[Aeroflot]] had planned to introduce the type in 1959 but the project was delayed by development problems with the [[Antonov An-10]] which tied down the complete [[Antonov]] [[OKB]], as well as issues with the An-14 prototype itself.

The An-14A went into production in 1965 in the state-owned aircraft factory No. 166 in [[Arsenyev]]. By now, it had different wings, a distinctly [[Dihedral (aeronautics)|V-shaped]] tail plane and modified vertical stabilizers. A large cargo door at the rear of the cabin had an opening of {{convert|0.85|by|1.90|m|ft}}. In 1967, the type was presented at the milestone [[Moscow Domodedovo Airport|Domodedovo]] air show.

The An-14 had a capacity of seven passengers or {{convert|600|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of freight. For [[aerial application]] in agriculture, it could be fitted with a {{convert|1000|L|gal|adj=on}} tank and spraying booms. The air ambulance version was able to accept six stretchers and one nurse. There was also a VIP version for five passengers. Other variants included the An-14B with retractable landing gear, as well as the An-14M with [[turboprop]] engines which was later developed into the [[Antonov An-28]]. The maiden flight of the An-14M took place in 1969. It received a stretched fuselage and high-lift wing. Like the An-14B, its prototype had been fitted with retractable landing gear, but that was dropped in the final production version.<ref>Flieger Revue 11/1972, ''Neue Flugzeuge vorgestellt – Antonow An-14M.'' S.&nbsp;475</ref>

Another unusual variant was the An-14Sh, which tested an [[hovercraft|air cushion]] landing gear for unprepared landing strips. While these tests were successful, the gear impaired the aerodynamics and only left minimal payload capacity. A precursor of the An-14Sh had been the An-714 with inflatable floats. In China, there was a smaller variant named Sha-Tu (or Capital) N°1.

15 An-14 were exported, four of which went to the [[National People's Army|East German Army]] in 1966. They were used by the ''Verbindungsfliegerstaffel 25'' (aerial liaison squadron) of the [[Air Forces of the National People's Army|East German Air Force]] in Strausberg, renamed to VS-14 in 1971, until 1980 or 1981. Two of these, 995 and 996, survive in the [[Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow|German Air Force Museum]] and the Airport Museum Cottbus.
 
Production ceased in 1976 after 332 units as the type proved unable to replace the Antonov An-2.

== Design ==

A high-wing plane with struts, all variants except the An-14M are powered by two [[Ivchenko AI-14]] air-cooled nine-cylinder radial engines. The strut-braced wing has automatic [[leading-edge slats]] and split [[Flap (aeronautics)|flaps]]. Twin vertical stabilizers are mounted on the tips of the tail plane in the air stream of the propellers. The tricycle landing gear was not retractable in the original variant but could be fitted with skis for winter use. Short sponsons serve to mount the main gear. The fuselage is an all-metal semi-monocoque design.

==Operators==
{{acopmap|An-14|An-14 operators}}
;{{AFG}}
* [[Afghan Air Force]] - operated 12 from 1985 through 1991.
;{{BUL}}
*[[Balkan Bulgarian Airlines]]

;{{DDR}}
*[[Air Forces of the National People's Army|East German Air Force]]
;{{MNG}}
*[[Mongolian People's Air Force]] - operated 2 from the early 1970s through the 1980s
;{{GUI}}
*[[Military of Guinea]]
;{{YUG}}
*[[Letalski center Maribor]] - civil operator YU-BCD crashed 1967{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
;{{USSR}}
*[[Soviet Air Force]]
*[[Aeroflot]] 

==Specifications (An-14) ==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945<ref name="Stroud p70-1">Stroud 1968, pp. 70–71.</ref>
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew= two
|capacity= 6-8 passengers / {{cvt|720|kg|0}} payload
|length m=11.36
|length note=
|span m=21.99
|span note=
|height m=4.63
|height note=
|wing area sqm=39.72
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=12.15:1
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=2600
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=3450
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=3600
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=<br/>
*'''Cabin size:''' {{cvt|3.1|x|1.53|x|1.6|m|2}}
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name= [[Ivchenko AI-14]]RF
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines
|eng1 hp=300
|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=3
|prop name=variable-pitch propellers
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=210
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=180
|cruise speed note=<br/>
*'''Landing speed:''' {{cvt|80|km/h|mph kn}}
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=650
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=5000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|more performance=<br/>
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt|100|-|110|m|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt|110|m|0}}

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Antonov An-28]]
* [[Antonov An-38]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[IAI Arava]]
* [[Short SC.7 Skyvan]]
|sequence=
|see also=
}}

==References==

;Citations
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
* Stroud, John. ''Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945''. London:Putnam, 1968. {{ISBN|0-370-00126-5}}.
* Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London: Jane's Yearbooks. {{ISBN|0-354-00538-3}}.
{{aviation.ru}}

==External links==
{{Commons }}
* [http://walkarounds.scalemodels.ru/v/walkarounds/avia/civil_and_sport_avia/an-14/ Walkaround An-14 from Aviatechnical museum, Lugansk, Ukraine]
* [http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_cid_226.html Walkaround An-14 from Civil Aviation Museum, Ulyanovsk, Russia]

{{Antonov aircraft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonov An-014}}
[[Category:Antonov aircraft|An-014]]
[[Category:1950s Soviet military utility aircraft]]
[[Category:1950s Soviet civil utility aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1958]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Twin-tail aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear]]
[[Category:STOL aircraft]]