Waco CRG

The Waco G series is an American open-cockpit sporting biplane of the early 1930s.

Development

The Waco G series was designed to compete in the 1930 Ford Air Tour, a major transcontinental race. Waco had won the race in both 1928 and 1929 and the company built two newly designed CRGs for the 1930 competition. The CRG is a powerful but conventional biplane design with untapered wings and a fixed, spatted tailwheel undercarriage. The 240 hp (179 kW) Wright R-760 radial engine initially fitted was fully cowled.

Operational history

Two CRGs were completed for the 1930 race. To prevent the Waco aircraft winning for a third consecutive time, Ford changed the rules so that only the Ford Trimotor could win. The CRGs succeeded in gaining second and third paces in the transcontinental marathon, which started at the Ford Airport, which is now the site of the Ford Motor Company automobile testing site at Dearborn, Michigan. The 1930 competition was over a 5,200-mile circular course passing through the U.S. Midwest and neighboring provinces of Canada.^[1]

NC600Y was flown by JohnH. Livingston and NC660Y by Art Davis, the proprietor of the Air Circus bearing his name. The latter aircraft was destroyed in 1938 when it crashed during an air race.^[2] N600Y was re-engined in 1939 with a different Wright R-760 powerplant and is still active in 2011.

Specifications (CRG)

Data from Aerofiles.com

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 1 or 2 passengers
• Length: 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 7 in (9.32 m)
• Useful lift: 1,241 lb ( kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-760, 240 hp (179 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 154 mph (248 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 130 mph ( km/h)
• Stall speed: 45 mph (72 km/h)
• Range: 700 miles (1,126 km)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Photo of Waco CRG
• Details of Waco models at Aerofiles.com