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Waco 10
Waco 10 giving joy rides.
Role	light passenger transportType of aircraft
Manufacturer	Advance Aircraft Waco Aircraft Company
Designer	Charles Meyers
First flight	1927
Introduction	1927
Produced	1927–1933

The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series was a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the Advance Aircraft Company, later the Waco Aircraft Company.

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 90 hp (67 kW).

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 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 engine became the GXE.

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 115 hp (86 kW) Milwaukee Tank engine. This last engine was an air-cooled 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 1990s the unrelated The WACO Aircraft Company 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 240 hp (180 kW) 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 25 lb (11 kg) or two 100 lb (45 kg) bombs.

There was also an export model WACO Pursuit 300T-A, with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright or Wasp Jr engine.

Surviving aircraft

Specifications (Waco GXE)

Data from Aerofiles

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
• Wingspan: 30 ft 7 in (9.32 m)
• Height: 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)
• Airfoil: Aeromarine 2A
• Empty weight: 1,199 lb (544 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,025 lb (919 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss OX-5 V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 90 hp (67 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 97 mph (156 km/h, 84 kn)
• Cruise speed: 84 mph (135 km/h, 73 kn)
• Stall speed: 37 mph (60 km/h, 32 kn)
• Range: 380 mi (610 km, 330 nmi)
• Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types)

• Alexander Eaglerock
• American Eagle A-101
• Brunner-Winkle Bird
• Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster
• Command-Aire 3C3
• Parks P-1
• 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

References

1. Purdy, Don (July 15, 1998). AeroCrafter homebuilt aircraft sourcebook (5th ed.). Benicia, Calif.: BAI Communications. p. 288. ISBN 0963640941.
2. ^ Forman, Harrison (September 1934). "American warplanes in China". Popular Aviation: 151–152.
3. ^ "Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum". Fairchild24.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
4. "Where is it now. Collections from the Former Ohio History of Flight Museum". Ohio History Connection Blog. Ohio History Connection. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
5. "Waco 10 (GXE) – Canada Aviation and Space Museum". Aviation.technomuses.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
6. "1928 Waco GXE Eagles Mere Air Museum". eaglesmereairmuseum.org/index.shtml. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
7. Rose, Scott (March 18, 2002). "Vintage Registry - A Warbirds Resource Group Site - Waco". Vintage.warbirdregistry.org. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
8. Federal Aviation Administration (August 2012). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N5852". Retrieved August 7, 2012.
9. Skaarup, Harold A. (2001). Canadian Warbird Survivors - A Handbook on where to find them. Nebraska: Writers Club Press. ISBN 978-059520668-1.
10. "WACO GXE - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum". Waaamuseum.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
11. "Waco 10/ATO". Airventuremuseum.org. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
12. "Master Aircraft List". Airventuremuseum.org. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
13. "WACO ATO "Taperwing" - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum". Waaamuseum.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
14. Transport Canada (August 2012). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
15. "WACO Taperwing A.T.O. > Vintage Wings of Canada". Vintagewings.ca. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
16. Federal Aviation Administration (August 2012). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N13918". Retrieved August 7, 2012.
17. Federal Aviation Administration (August 2012). "Make / Model Inquiry Results N8529". Retrieved August 7, 2012.
18. "WACO DSO - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum". Waaamuseum.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
19. "WACO CSO - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum". Waaamuseum.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
20. "WACO CTO "Taper Wing" - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum". Waaamuseum.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
21. "Museum Hangar 1, John Cournoyer's Wonderful Wacos". Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
22. Aerofiles (April 2009). "Waco". Retrieved June 10, 2009.
23. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved April 16, 2019.

Further reading

• Juptner, Joseph P. (1962). U.S. Civil Aircraft. Vol. 1. Los Angeles, California: Aero Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9780816891665. LCCN 62-15967. OCLC 29356554.
• Brandly, Raymond H. (1986). Waco Aircraft Production 1923-1942 (2nd ed.). Troy, Ohio: Waco Aircraft Co. ISBN 0-9602734-5-X.
• Kobernuss, Fred O. (1999). Waco - Symbol of Courage and Excellence. Mystic Bay Publisher. ISBN 1-887961-01-1.

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