The Waco E series is a small family of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-built cabin

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s built between 1939 and 1942, which differed primarily by engine installation.

Development and design

The E series was the final development of the prewar Waco line of biplane designs. A full four-seater, it had the best performance of any of the Wacos. First flown in 1939, it had a much slimmer and more streamlined

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

than earlier Waco C and S models and heavily staggered unequal-span parallel-chord

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

s with rounded tips. Wings were plywood-skinned, and also had wire cross-bracing between the wings in place of the solid

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s used on previous models. Engines varied in power from , giving the E series a high cruising speed for the period of up to . Production ceased in 1942. Note: the Waco GXE of 1929/30 was an unrelated biplane design with non-staggered wings

Operational history

The E series was sold to wealthier private pilot owners who required the comfort of a fully enclosed cabin and a high cruising speed, combined with a longer range. Because of the type's good performance, 15 examples were impressed by 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

World War II 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 ...

for communications work as the UC-72. Several of the USAAF examples were returned to civilian use after the end of the war and five E series aircraft remained airworthy in 2001.Simpson p. 576

Variants

USAAF Waco UC-72 42-38271 (previously) SRE NC20961, at Hammer Field front

(Source : Aerofiles) ;ARE Aristocrat :

Jacobs L-6 The Jacobs R-915 or Jacobs L-6 is a seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft manufactured in the United States, production started in 1936. Design and development The R-915 was effectively an enlargement of the R-755 with strengt ...

(4 built, one impressed as UC-72A) ;HRE Aristocrat :

Lycoming R-680 The Lycoming R-680 is a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, the first aero engine produced by Lycoming. The engine was produced in two types, the E and B series; both are essentially the same. The B4E was available in a trainer version wit ...

(5 built, 2 impressed as UC-72C) ;SRE Aristocrat :

Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced , ...

SB-2 (21 built, 12 impressed as UC-72) ;WRE Aristocrat :

Wright R-975 Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

- model offered to potential customers, but none built

Impressed aircraft

;UC-72:12 impressed Waco SRE for USAAF ;UC-72A:One impressed Waco ARE ;UC-72C:Two impressed Waco HRE

Specifications (SRE)

Notes

References

*Green, William, The Aircraft of the World, 1965, MacDonald & Co (Publishers) Ltd, ISBN none *Simpson, Rod, Airlife's World Aircraft, 2001, Airlife Publishing Ltd,

External links

Details and photographs of the Waco E series on Aerofiles
{{Waco aircraft

E series E series may refer to: * BMC E-series engine, a series of automobile engines * Electronic E series of preferred numbers, a series of preferred values for electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, zener diodes * Entwicklung seri ...

1930s United States civil utility aircraft Sesquiplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1939