Powered Waco CG-4A??

Have you seen the fantastic work being undertaken at the Yorkshire Air Museum restoring a Waco?

I first saw this CG-4A back in 2003, it was in a very sorry state. WHAT a transformation!. Many thanks for the photo Robert.

Wonder if YAM will be painting her in RAF colours????.

Andy

Have you seen the fantastic work being undertaken at the Yorkshire Air Museum restoring a Waco?

I take my hat off to any Pilot who has landed a heavy military Glider at night into an unlit field especially after a long and tiring Aerotow (also really difficult at night) !!!

I’ll pass the message on – a friend up here is an Arnhem veteran glider pilot was was taught to fly in the US by Jackie Coogan, Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Kid’ and the Addams’ Uncle Fester.

William

I send some pics this kite. 🙂

Will do my friend, thanks.

Airspeed Andy check your PMs

Aeronut: I’d be interested to hear more about the GAL glider you mentioned, you’re not thinking of the GAL.55 ‘Trixie’ training glider are you?.

Thanks in advance.

Andy Bellwood

I think that in the case of the GAL replacement it really was more that the assault glider had ‘had its day’ and most countries thought that a tactical transport was a more ‘cost effective’ solution.As a lifelong glider enthusiast it pains me to say that but it must have been an expensive way of delivering the troops and equipment…but probably the only way available in the time available.
I take my hat off to any Pilot who has landed a heavy military Glider at night into an unlit field especially after a long and tiring Aerotow (also really difficult at night) !!!

I have some info (somewhere) on the GAL design for the ‘New medium glider’ that was to replace the Horsa. I’ve even talked to the Glider Pilot Regiment chap who advised them on the cockpit layout in the mock up. When I first saw the sketch of it I thought Beverley – pod and boom fuselage, fixed / struted tricycle u/c, side by side pilots above cargo hold with clamshell doors front and rear, and twin fins.
It would have gone into production but like all the assault gliders 1950 saw then going in a defence cut.

The engines fitted to the CG 4 would have been ‘Auxiliary’ engines , ie to assist during a heavyweight launch by taking some of the load off the Tug and rope,and also to allow an ‘Unloaded’ takeoff or to self retrieve from target field ie not powerful enough for a loaded takeoff !!
This was also the reasoning behind the final version of the Hamilcar (Mk X) fitted with two 965 HP Bristol Mercury radials. In the states the Chase Aircraft Co series of large Gliders culminated in the fitting of 2x Wright R1850 radials to the XCGA 18A evolving into the C122 Tactical Transport,And fitting of 2x P+W R2800 radials to the XCG 20 which evolved into the well known C123 Provider.The reasoning being if you are going to the trouble of fitting the engines and (fairly) complex systems to a military airframe you might as well make it a proper powered aircraft.
The Germans obviously came to the same conclusion with the Me321 Gigant evolving into the Me 323 with 6x 950 HP Gnome-Rhone radials fitted.
As a tailpiece General Aircraft who designed the large Hamilcar tank carrying glider during WW2 (110 ft span , 16 tons loaded wt !!!) went on to design the GAL 60 Universal Freighter which evolved into the Blackburn Beverley Heavy tactical transport and i am assuming this project also started off(to some degree anyway !) as a heavy glider/powered glider design , most aircraft designs being a step by step evolution rather than a ‘Eureka’ moment.
Incidentally the Blackburn/General Aircraft amalgamation is why the inspection stamp used on components from the Brough factory since then has been ‘BGA’ i only mention this because i dont think it was on the list in the appropriate thread of ID letters etc.

Three powered gliders where developed, the CG-4A powered by two 125hp Franklin egines became the XPG-1. The CG-4A powered by two 175 Ranger engines was the XPG-2 and a CG-15A was powered by two Jacobs R-755-9 engines. There are photo’s of the XPG-1 in the book Fighting gliders of world war 11 by James E. Mrazek and Silent wings by Gerard m. Devlin