![Waco 10 (GXE) 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Waco_10_%28GXE%29_01.JPG)
The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series was a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the
Advance Aircraft Company
The Waco Aircraft Company (WACO) was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio, United States. Between 1920 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes.
The company initially started under the name Weaver Aircraft C ...
, later the
Waco Aircraft Company
The Waco Aircraft Company (WACO) was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio, United States. Between 1920 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes.
The company initially started under the name Weaver Aircraft C ...
.
Design and development
The Waco 10 was a larger span development of the
Waco 9, both single-engined three-seat single-bay biplanes constructed around steel-tube frames. The wing covering was fabric, and both upper and lower planes carried ailerons, which were strut linked. The two passengers sat side by side in a cockpit under the upper wing and ahead of the pilot, who had a separate cockpit. It had a split-axle fixed undercarriage and a tailwheel. The main undercarriage was fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers, unusual at the time on a light aircraft. The fin could be trimmed on the ground to offset engine torque, and the tailplane could be trimmed in flight. Initially it was powered by a
Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled 90° V-8 engine producing .
Its first flight was in 1927. It was numerically the most important type to be built by Waco, with at least 1,623 built over a period of 7 years from 1927 to 1933 and was fitted with a very large variety of engines of radial and V configuration.
Operational history
The Waco 10 turned out to have excellent handling, and there was a ready supply of war-surplus Curtiss engines. It was widely used for the popularisation of aeronautics through barnstorming and joyrides, and was also much used as a trainer and by small operators for charter flights.
Variants
In 1928, after the Waco 10 had entered production, Waco changed its designation system so that the basic model 10, powered by a
Curtiss OX-5 engine became the GXE.
![Waco CTO NC744H Beaufort MCAS SC 24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Waco_CTO_NC744H_Beaufort_MCAS_SC_24.04.04R.jpg)
Later aircraft used three-letter designations, the first denoting the engine (except for the two mailplanes), the second denoting the wing installed, S or T meaning Straight or Tapered wing, and the final O indicating it was a derivative of the 10. An -A suffix indicated an armed variant intended for export.
Apart from the water-cooled
V-8 Curtiss and Hispano-Suiza engines, all of the rest were air-cooled
radials.
Other engines were fitted experimentally, without unique designations, including the
Rausie,
Ryan-Siemens, and Milwaukee Tank engine. This last engine was an
air-cooled
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...
version of the Curtiss OX-5, and was intended as an aircraft engine.
The
JYM and JWM were mailplane derivatives with a 14" fuselage stretch.
In the unrelated 1990s
The WACO Aircraft Company
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
in
Forks, Washington offered a
homebuilt kit version of the ATO model.
The WACO 240-A was a straight-wing fighter, built for export, powered by Wright engine. At least six were bought by the Cantonese Chinese aviation services. They were armed with twin .30 Browning machine guns and had racks for five or two bombs.
There was also an export model WACO Pursuit 300T-A, with Wright or Wasp Jr engine.
[
]
Surviving aircraft
Specifications (Waco GXE)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types)
*Alexander Eaglerock
The Alexander Eaglerock was a biplane produced in the United States in the 1920s by Alexander Aircraft Company of Colorado Springs, Colorado.Payne, Stephen, ed. ''Canadian Wings'' (Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd., 2006), p.162.
It was a fixed-gear th ...
*American Eagle A-101
The American A-1 and A-101 were American two and three-seat biplanes of the 1920s.
Design and development
The American Eagle A-1 was designed in late 1925 as a training aircraft to replace the World War I biplanes then in use by the Porterfield F ...
*Brunner-Winkle Bird
The Brunner-Winkle Bird was a three-seat taxi and joy-riding aircraft produced in the US from 1928 to 1931.
Design and operation
The Model A version was powered by the ubiquitous Curtiss OX-5, and featured a welded steel-tube truss fuselage with ...
* Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster
* Command-Aire 3C3
*Parks P-1
The Parks P-1 was an American three-seat sport biplane that was built in the late 1920s.
Design and development
Based in St.Louis, pilot, salesman and entrepreneur Oliver Parks founded an air school, airline and aircraft manufacturing business s ...
* Pitcairn Mailwing
* Spartan C3
* Stearman C2 and C3
* Swallow New Swallow
* Travel Air 2000 and 4000
Related lists
* List of aircraft
* List of civil aircraft
List of civil aircraft is a list of articles on civilian aircraft with descriptions, which excludes aircraft operated by military organizations in civil markings, warbirds, warbirds used for racing, replica warbirds and research aircraft.
A ABC ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{WACO
1920s United States civil utility aircraft
Aerobatic aircraft
10
Biplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1927