Waco CG-4

CG-4
CG-4A
Role	Military glider
Manufacturer	Waco Aircraft Company
First flight	1942
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force United States Navy
Number built	>13,903
Variants	Waco CG-15

The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4 by the United States Army Air Forces^[1], and named Hadrian in British military service.

Designed by the Waco Aircraft Company, flight testing began in May 1942, and eventually more than 13,900 CG-4As were delivered.

Design and development

The CG-4A was constructed of fabric-covered wood and metal and was crewed by a pilot and copilot. It had two fixed mainwheels and a tailwheel. The factories ran 24-hour shifts to build the gliders. One night-shift worker in the Wicks Aircraft Company factory in Kansas City wrote,

“

On one side of the huge bricked-in room is a fan running, on the other a cascade of water to keep the air from becoming too saturated with paint. The men man the paint sprayers covering the huge wings of the glider with the Khaki or Blue and finishing it off with that thrilling white star enclosed in a blue circle that is winging its way around the world for victory.... The wings are first covered with a canvas fabric stretched on like wallpaper over plywood then every seam, hold, open place, closed place, and edge is taped down with the all adhesive dope that not only makes the wings airtight, but covers my hands, my slacks, my eyebrows, my hair, and my tools with a fast-drying coat that peels off like nail polish or rubs off with a thinner that burns like Hell.[2]

”

The CG-4A could carry 13 troops and their equipment. Cargo loads could be a quarter ton truck (Jeep), a 75 mm howitzer, or a ¼ ton trailer, loaded through the upward-hinged nose section. C-47s were usually used as tow aircraft. A few C-46 tugs were used during and after Operation Plunder.

The USAAF CG-4A tow line was ¹¹⁄₁₆-inch-diameter (17 mm) nylon, 350 feet (107 m) long. The CG-4A pickup line was ¹⁵/₁₆ inch- (24 mm)-diameter nylon, but only 225 ft (69 m) long including the doubled loop.

Sixteen companies were prime contractors for manufacturing the CG-4A. Among them were, Wicks Aircraft Company of Kansas City, Commonwealth Aircraft of Kansas City (1470), General Aircraft Corporation of Lowell (1112), Robertson Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis (170), Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation of Minneapolis (1510), Ford Motor Company of Detroit (2418 Units at $14,891 dollars each) and the WACO Company of Troy (999 Units at $19,367 each).^[3] Others were the Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas (750), Babcock Aircraft Company of Deland, Florida (60), Gibson Refrigerator of Greenville, Michigan (1078), Laister-Kauffman Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri (310), National (1 at an astronomical $1,741,809) ^[4], Pratt-Read of Eddystone, Pennsylvania (956), Ridgefield Manufacturing Company of Ridgeville, New Jersey (156), Timm Aircraft Company of Van Nuys, California (434), and Ward Furniture Company of Fort Smith, Arkansas (7). ^[5][6][7]

Operational history

During Operation Market-Garden, the 101st Airborne Division was reinforced with twelve gliders on 18 September 1944. Here, Waco gliders are lined up on an English airfield in preparation for the next lift to Holland.

Whiteman Air Force Base was originally activated on 6 August 1942 as Sedalia Glider Base. In November 1942 the installation became Sedalia Army Air Field and was assigned to the 12th Troop Carrier Command of the United States Army Air Forces. The field served as a training site for glider pilots and paratroopers. Assigned aircraft included the CG-4A glider, Curtiss C-46, and Douglas C-47 . However, the C-46 was not used as a glider tug in combat until Operation Plunder in March 1945.

CG-4As went into operation in July 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily. They participated in the American airborne landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and in other important airborne operations in Europe and in the China-Burma-India Theater. Although not the intention of the Army Air Forces, gliders were generally considered expendable by high-ranking European theater officers and combat personnel and were abandoned or destroyed after landing. While equipment and methods for extracting flyable gliders were developed and delivered to Europe, half of that equipment was rendered unavailable by certain higher-ranked officers.^{[citation needed]} Despite this lack of support for the recovery system, several gliders were recovered from Normandy and even more from Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and Wesel, Germany.

The CG-4A found favor where its small size was a benefit. The larger British Airspeed Horsa could carry more troopers (seating for 28 or a jeep or an anti-tank gun), and the British General Aircraft Hamilcar could carry a light tank, but the CG-4A could land in smaller spaces. In addition, by using a fairly simple net system, an in-flight C-47 equipped with a tail hook could "pick up" a CG-4A waiting on the ground.^[8] The system was used succsefully in the 1945 high-altitude rescue attempt of the survivors of the Gremlin Special in a mountain valley of New Guninea.^[9]

The CG-4A was also used to send supplies to partisans in Yugoslavia.

After World War II ended almost all the remaining CG-4s were declared surplus and almost all were sold. Many were bought for the wood in the large shipping boxes. Others were bought for conversion to towed camping homes with the wing and tail end cut off and being towed by the rear section and others sold for hunting cabins and lake side vacation cabins.

Variants

The XPG-1 prototype

The XPG-2 prototype

XCG-4

Prototypes, two built, plus one stress test article

CG-4A

Main Production variant, survivors became G-4A in 1948, 13,903 built by 16 contractors

XCG-4B

One CG-4A built with a plywood structure

XPG-1

One CG-4A converted with two Franklin 6AC-298-N3 engines by Northwestern

XPG-2

One CG-4A converted with two 175 hp (130 kW) L-440-1 engines by Ridgefield

XPG-2A

Two articles: XPG-2 engines changed to 200 hp (150 kW) plus one CG-4A converted also with 200 hp (150 kW) engines

PG-2A

Production PG-2A with two 200 hp (150 kW) L-440-7s, redesignated G-2A in 1948, ten built by Northwestern

XPG-2B

Cancelled variant with two R-775-9 engines

LRW-1

CG-4A transferred to the United States Navy (13 units)

G-2A

PG-2A re-designated in 1948

G-4A

CG-4A re-designated in 1948

G-4C

G-4A with different tow-bar, 35 conversions

Hadrian Mk.I

Royal Air Force designation for the CG-4A, 25 delivered

Hadrian Mk.II

Royal Air Force designation for the CG-4A with equipment changes

Operators

A British Hadrian

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

 Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovakian Air Force operated 2 or 3 Wacos, designated NK-4

 United Kingdom

• Army Air Corps
  • Glider Pilot Regiment
• Royal Air Force
  • No. 668 Squadron RAF
  • No. 669 Squadron RAF
  • No. 670 Squadron RAF
  • No. 671 Squadron RAF
  • No. 672 Squadron RAF
  • No. 673 Squadron RAF

 United States

• United States Army Air Forces
• United States Navy

Surviving aircraft

Cockpit of CG-4A at the Silent Wings Museum

• U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, NC
• The Fighting Falcon Museum, Greenville MI^[10]
• National Museum of the United States Air Force
• National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Columbus GA
• 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum, Fort Bragg, Fayetteville NC
• Air Mobility Command Museum
• Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte NC
• National Soaring Museum
• Musée Airborne
• Silent Wings Museum, Lubbock TX
• Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop, United Kingdom
• Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum, Fort Campbell KY
• Airborne D-Day Museum, St. Mere Eglise, Normandy, France
• Cradle of Aviation Museum , Long Island, NY
• Yanks Air Museum , Chino, CA

^[11][12][13]

Specifications (CG-4A)

Data from Tribute to the American Combat Glider Pilots of World War II and Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions for Army Model CG4A Glider (TO No. 09-40CA-1)^[14]

General characteristics

• Crew: two pilots
• Capacity: 13 troops, or quarter-ton truck (Jeep) and 4 troopers, or 6 litters
• Length: 48 ft 8 in (14.8 m)
• Wingspan: 83 ft 8 in (25.5 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)
• Wing area: 900 ft² (83.6 m²)
• Empty weight: 3,900 lb (1,769 kg)
• Loaded weight: 7,500 lb (3,402 kg)
• Useful load:

"Troop Carrier (2 crew & 13 passengers): 4197 lb";

"Cargo Carrier - Jeep (2 crew, 4 passengers, 1 Jeep Car): 4197 lb"

"Cargo Carrier - 75 MM howitzer (2 crew, 3 passengers, 1 Howitzer, 18 rounds ammunition): 4197 lb^[15] ()

• Max takeoff weight: 7,500 lb (3,402 kg)
• *Max take off (Emergency Load): 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 150 mph IAS ^[16] (241 km/h)
• Maximum speed: 150 mph CAS^[17] (240 km/h CAS^[18]) at 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) 128 mph CAS/135 mph IAS at 9000 lb
• Cruise speed: IAS 72.6 mph^[19] (117 km/h^[20])
• Stall speed: 49 mph^[21] (79 km/h^[22]) with design load 7,500 lb (3,400 kg)
• Wing loading: 8.33 lb/ft² (40.7 kg/m²
• Rate of sink: About 400 ft/min (2 m/sec) at tactical glide speed (IAS 60 mph/96 km/h)
• Landing run: 600-800 feet (180-244 m) for normal three-point landing; "Landing rolls of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 feet are to be expected at the higher emergency gross weights...")

Armament
none

Avionics
none

See also

Related development

• Waco CG-15
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Airspeed Horsa
• DFS 230
• General Aircraft Hamilcar
• General Aircraft Hotspur
• Gotha Go 242
• Schweizer cargo glider designs
• Slingsby Hengist
  

Related lists

• List of World War II military gliders
  

References

1. ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 11, p.1199, "Waco CG-4A"
2. ^ Jane Beasley Raph. "My Aunt the Doper: "Gliding Gladys" in the War Factory". http://family.phelpsinc.com/branches/beasley/jane_wwii_glider_factory.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-08. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Janet Rose Daly Bednarek, Michael H. Bednarek. Dreams of flight general aviation in the United States. 
4. ^ Diehl, Alan E., PhD, "Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-ups", Brassey's, Inc., Dulles, Virginia, 2002, Library of Congress card number 2001052726, ISBN 1-57488-412-3, page 81.
5. ^ Andrade, John M., "U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909", Midland Counties Publications, Earl Shilton, Leister, UK, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9, page 96.
6. ^ http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/aircraft/WACO-CG-4.html
7. ^ http://niehorster.orbat.com/013_usa/_aircraft_usaf.htm
8. ^ Silent Partner of the Plane page 98, February 1944, Popular Science
9. ^ "GLIDER RESCUE FROM NEW GUINEA SHANGRI". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1945. 
10. ^ The Fighting Falcon website
11. ^ Munson, J.. "Sailplanes in Our Collection". http://www.soaringmuseum.org/collection.html. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
12. ^ Air Mobility Command Museum. "CG-4A". http://www.amcmuseum.org/exhibits_and_planes/cargo/cg-4/cg-4.html. Retrieved 2008-11-03. 
13. ^ "The Airborne Museum". http://www.musee-airborne.com/eng/page.php?page=airborne_museum. Retrieved 2009-08-02. 
14. ^ Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions for Army Model CG4A Glider (TO No. 09-40CA-1)
15. ^ Erection and Maintenance Instructions CG-4A Glider, 15 February 1943 (TO No. 09-40CA-2)
16. ^ "...due to the possibility that windshield panels may blow in and other failures may occur."
17. ^ IAS about 158 mph
18. ^ ; IAS about 254 km/h
19. ^ IAS about 85 mph
20. ^ IAS about 137 km/h
21. ^ about 60 mph IAS
22. ^ about 96 km/h IAS

External links

• 3D-model of Waco CG-4
• Silent Partner of the Plane February 1944 Popular Science. First large article on CG-4A during World War II. Rare photos and drawings
• GLIDER PARADE August 1944 CG-4 article
• The Assault Glider Trust
• Silent Wings Museum
• U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum, World War II CG-4A Glider Exhibit, Fort Bragg NC
• Detailed photos of the CG-4A in the National Soaring Museum
• More detailed photos of the CG-4A in the National Soaring Museum, including manual pages
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