- Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio
Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio (WACO) was an aircraft company located in Troy,
Ohio , USA. Between 1919 and 1946, the company produced a wide range of civilianbiplane s.WACO's history started in 1919 when businessmen Clayton J. Brukner and
Elwood Junkin metbarnstorming pilotsCharley Meyers andGeorge Weaver . Although their initialfloatplane design was a failure, they went on to found the WACO company in 1920 and established themselves as producers of reliable, rugged planes that were popular with travelling businessmen, postal services and explorers, especially after the company switched to producing closed-cabin biplanes after 1924.During World War 2, WACO produced large numbers of
glider s for the RAF and US Air Force for airborne operations, especially during theNormandy Invasion andOperation Market Garden . TheCG-4 Hadrian was the most numerous version produced.The WACO company ceased operations in 1946, having suffered the fate of a number of general aviation companies when an anticipated boom in aviation following
World War II failed to develop.cite web | url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/GENERAL_AVIATION/WACO/GA3.htm | title=WACO Aircraft Corporation | last=Guillemette | first=Roger | work=U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission | accessdate=2006-10-10] TheWACO Classic Aircraft company began in 1986 building itsWACO Classic YMF , an upgraded version based on WACO's type certificated design.In America, WACO (referring to the aircraft) is usually pronounced "wah-co" (the first syllable pronounced as in "water"), not "way-co" like
Waco, Texas . There is a large collection of WACO biplanes at theHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum in Missouri.References
External links
* [http://www.wacoairmuseum.org Waco Air Museum Troy, Ohio]
* [http://www.michaelmccafferty.com/adventures The Spirit of Adventure: Flying the USA and Europe, low and slow in a Waco open-cockpit biplane]
* [http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/manuscripts/ms109.html Wright State University's archive of Waco records]
* [http://www.rtptv.homestead.com/rtpcarolinabarnstormers.html AeroSpace Show - (RTP-TV 2003) Video Story On Waco BiPlane ]
* [http://www.wacoclassic.com/ Waco Classic]
* [http://www.chet-aero.com/waco.php Waco ZQC-6 Photos]
* [http://albertaaviationmuseum.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=41 Alberta Aviation Museum]
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