Laister-Kauffman TG-4

__NOTOC__

The Laister-Kauffman TG-4 (designated LK-10 Yankee Doodle 2 by its designer) was an sailplane produced in the United States during the Second World War for training cargo glider pilots. It was a conventional sailplane design with a fuselage of steel tube construction and wooden wings and tail, skinned all over in fabric. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem under a long canopy.

Jack Laister designed the aircraft in response to the formation of the United States Army Air Corps' American Glider Program in 1941, basing it on his Yankee Doodle design of 1938 for Lawrence Tech. Aside from the addition of a second seat, the Yankee Doodle 2 differed from it predecessor in having wings of constant dihedral instead of gull wings. The USAAC expressed interest, but only if Laister could arrange for the manufacture of the type. When Laister found a sponsor in businessman John Kauffman, they established the Laister-Kauffman Corporation in St Louis, Missouri and the USAAC ordered three prototypes as the XTG-4.

When evaluation of the type proved positive, the Army placed an order for 75 aircraft, followed by an order for another 75. These were operated as the TG-4A, along with the original, single-seat Yankee Doodle that was impressed into service. All had been withdrawn from service prior to the end of the war when it was discovered that the flight characteristics of the aircraft were so different to those of a cargo glider, that the experience gained on the TG-4 was not particularly relevant.

Preserved examples on public display include those at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Air Mobility Command Museum, Silent Wings Museum, the Museum of Aviation, and the Planes of Fame museum.

Variants

* XTG-4 - prototypes (3 built)
* TG-4A - production model (150 built)
* TG-4B - civilian aircraft impressed into service (1 impressed)

pecifications (TG-4A)

aerospecs
ref=
met or eng?= eng

crew=Two, pilot and instructor
capacity=
length m=6.48
length ft=21
length in=3
span m=15.24
span ft=50
span in=0
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=1.22
height ft=4
height in=0
wing area sqm=15.4
wing area sqft=166
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio= 15:1
wing profile= NACA 4418, 4409
empty weight kg=215
empty weight lb=475
gross weight kg=397
gross weight lb=875
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=
eng1 type=
eng1 kw=
eng1 hp=
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=72
max speed mph=45
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
stall speed kmh=
stall speed mph=
range km=
range miles=
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=
ceiling ft=
g limits=
roll rate=
glide ratio= 22
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
sink rate ms= 0.98
sink rate ftmin= 192

armament1=
armament2=
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6= aircontent
see also=
related=
similar aircraft=
lists=

References

*
* (uncorrected OCR)
* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=498 National Museum of the United States Air Force fact sheet]
* [http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/laister.htm#LK-10A Sailplane Directory entry on the LK-10]
* [http://www.ltu.edu/ltutimeline/ LTU timeline]
* [http://www.amcmuseum.org/exhibits_and_planes/other/tg-4/tg-4.html Air Mobility Command museum]
* [http://www.museumofaviation.org/aircraft_collection/Special Aircraft/laister-kauffman_tg-4a.htm Museum of Aviation]