GPM 0216 WACO CG-4A Hadrian

The Waco CG-4 Haig or Hadrian was an American transport glider of the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place in 1942, while serial production was carried out in 1942-1944. In total, around 13,900 gliders of this type were built by the end of production! The length of this aircraft was approximately 14.6 meters with a wingspan of approximately 25.5 meters. The glider was able to carry 13 fully equipped soldiers or a load of 1700 kilograms. The Waco CG-4 glider was developed for the needs of the US Air Force in factories Waco Aircraft Company of Troy . The glider was designed in a high-wing configuration and, interestingly, had a mixed metal and wooden structure. When designing it, a lot of emphasis was placed on the lowest possible production costs and its simplicity. Thanks to the latter the production of Waco CG-4 could be undertaken relatively quickly in other plants than the parent plant - a good example is the Ford plant, where over 4,000 gliders of this type were built. Waco CG-4 was used on a large scale, among others: during the landing in Sicily in 1943, in Normandy in June 1944 or during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. It was also used on a smaller scale in the Pacific region.