The Chase CG-14, also known as the G-14 or Model MS.1, was an
assault glider
Military gliders (an offshoot of common gliders) have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops (glider infantry) and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were ...
manufactured by
Chase Aircraft
The Chase Aircraft Company, founded in 1943, was an American aircraft manufacturer, primarily constructing assault gliders and military transport aircraft. Lacking space for expansion, the company was purchased by Henry J. Kaiser in 1951. Plans t ...
for the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The aircraft failed to progress beyond the prototype stage, being overtaken by larger, improved glider designs.
Design and development
The first aircraft to be developed by Chase after its founding in 1943, the CG-14 was developed in preference to the
Laister-Kauffman CG-10. Constructed from
marine-grade mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
, as
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
was being used by the war effort in higher priority projects, the XG-14 featured improved crash protection when compared to preceding gliders.
Air Force Association
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is " ...
. ''Air Force Magazine'', volume 32, p.24.
Operational history
The XCG-14 made its maiden flight on January 4, 1945,
[Jane 1948] and following successful flight trials the aircraft was developed into two improved versions, the wood-and-metal XCG-14A
and the enlarged YCG-14A.
The CG-14 was one of the few glider projects to be continued after the end of the war; however, it was quickly superseded by an improved aircraft, the
XCG-18
The Chase XCG-18A and YC-122 Avitruc (known internally as the Chase MS.7) was a military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and produced in limited numbers in the United States in the late 1940s, initially as a glider, but definitively ...
.
Variants
;Chase MS.1
:Company designation for the XCG-14
;XCG-14
:First prototype, all-wooden.
[''Flying'' magazine, Vols. 48-49, p.48] 16 seats.
;XCG-14A
:Wood and metal version of XCG-14.
24 seats.
;YCG-14A/YG-14A
:Production prototype version of XCG-14A, superseded by XCG-14B.
[Mitchell 1992, p.164.]
;Chase MS.7
:Company designation for the XCG-14B
;XCG-14B/XG-14B
:Enlarged, improved variant, redesignated
XCG-18
The Chase XCG-18A and YC-122 Avitruc (known internally as the Chase MS.7) was a military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and produced in limited numbers in the United States in the late 1940s, initially as a glider, but definitively ...
, 2 built.
Specifications (XCG-14)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
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{{US glider aircraft
G-014
1940s United States military gliders
1940s United States military transport aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1945