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Restoration of a Glider Waco CG-4A structure.


Glider-borne
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  • 2 weeks later...

Mat,

 

Yes, the image you posted is the forged fitting.

The "all-bull's" image shows the looks of the extended tube with bearing welded in.

 

However, the "all-bull's" images are not of a CG-4A frame. That frame is a CG-15A. Note the 3-man fold down seats and the brake system parts at the top are different from a CG-4A.

 

Yes, I wrote a book on the USAAF gllder test & experiment air field in Ohio during 1942-45. I lived there as a kid during that time.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Hello everyone,

Some news of the project, starting from the most recent:

We just buying a skid (comes from Normandy), the first at front of the photo.
Thanks you, Yannick and Gauthier to allow us to show pictures of their other skids:
PB302064.jpg
PB302065.jpg
PB302068.jpg

Also thank you to the many people who regularly report us to give the infos of Waco sales.
That can not possible to be on the lookout 24h / 24h, this help is very useful to find the 70,000 parts that make up a glider!


Last month, for the Heritage Days, a small presentation of the project:
2014chaux2.jpg


And a discovery from the USA, a radio control box 722 Bc-B :

gliderborne_Bc722-b-1.jpg
gliderborne_Bc722-b-2.jpg
gliderborne_Bc722-b-3.jpg
gliderborne_Bc722-b-4.jpg
gliderborne_Bc722-b-6.jpg
gliderborne_Bc722-b-7.jpg

 

And thanks you to Charles Day for your explanations about the way to use this radio in a Waco Glider.

 

 


@+

 

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  • 5 months later...

Very cool. My father flew Waco's out of Stuttgart, AK.

 

He was stationed out of Stuttgart AAF in Sept 30 - Feb 6, 1943
The advanced glider school at Stuttgart opened during October 1942.
I have a few photos, if you wish..,
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Sounds like your Dad graduated in "Class 43-3". My Father-in-Law graduated in "Class 43-4" about two weeks later. I'd sure like to see the pictures! I have some documents relating to the Glider pilots that might contain information regarding your Dad. Also I've networked with a few people that have access to a lot more information. If your interested but don't feel comfortable putting some of the information on a public forum, you can send me a PM thru the forum here.

 

To Glider-Borne, I'm wondering how the project for the Waco instruments name plates turned out? If you have any pictures I'd love to see them. Also if there are still any sets left to be sold I may have someone who is interested.

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There's another coincidence, my father in law also did his initial glider training at 29 Palms. He completed that in September of 42. In April he would have been at Hamilton Field. He was the headquarters 1st Sargent before he volunteered for the Glider program.

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Hah! so they just missed each other.

 

Where did he do is his basic? My father was at Cal Aero. Dad was here from June - Oct 1941

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airborne1968

Matt,

 

Each CG-4A load adjuster was assigned to a specific glider. It was not assigned to a person. It had nothing to do with a C-47. Glider pilots were assigned to Troop Carrier, not Airborne such as 504 parachute infantry regiment. There were three glider pilots named Young but none was a 1Lt per our records. None of them used only the J. initial for his given name.

 

This man may have been PIR but he was NOT glider pilot. Glider riders loaded the gliders. Thus this man may have adopted this slide rule. However, proper load and balance was the reponsibility of the pilot.

 

Is there anything on the reverse side of the card such as the original information such as glider serial number and CG of that glider?

 

Charles Day

 

If a jeep was loaded into the glider the 504th Soldier may have been responsible for figuring the load weights for each axle just as the Unit movement officer does with his load teams shipping hummers and LMTVs. Once all the leg work is done the glider pilot would just have to look over the numbers to ensure all is good once the vehicle was positioned in the glider.

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Hah! so they just missed each other.

 

Where did he do is his basic? My father was at Cal Aero. Dad was here from June - Oct 1941

 

I don’t have the exact dates. He enlisted out of San Jose CA. in 38. His first posting was to Schofield Barracks HI.

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Glider-borne

PM'd you. Here are some smaller resolution of the one's i'll email you.

 

Hello,

 

Very nice photos, we shared on our page facebook.

 

I attach a picture of the last part that we have found for the project : a steering wheel.

post-132741-0-39075500-1430312727.jpg

 

@sactroop : For the instruments name plates, quality of the repro hasn't convinced us. We try to found someone who can do a exact reproduction.

 

@airborne1968 : Thanks you for your comment, it is an hypothesis who need to be considered. I can't tell if it's good or not.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Backtheattack

Great theme. Because of my interest in Normandy I was fascinated from the informations in this thread. And it`s interesting to know where the rebuild projects are.

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  • 11 months later...
Glider-borne

Great theme. Because of my interest in Normandy I was fascinated from the informations in this thread. And it`s interesting to know where the rebuild projects are.

 

We are not so far from Germany, Backtheattack.

In two week (25-26 June 2016) we will do and small expo in Fribourg-Ecuvillens (Swiss)

http://www.aerodrome-ecuvillens.ch/index.php

 

Since last year, due to an important workload, I don't have communicate news of the project like in normal time.

For the 2 years of the Gliderborne project (9-9-2013), I bought a Clark CA-1 Airborne dozer.

Of course, in rust condition like the waco... we hate the easy job !

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1710283385855172.1073741851.1407639216119592&type=3

Video : https://www.facebook.com/Gliderborne/videos/vb.1407639216119592/1640210572862454/?type=3&theater

 

 

This year, I have discovered that only glider part in Normandy :

post-132741-0-52849100-1465809598.jpg

 

A lot of beautiful parts were in auction sale (in town of Caen), like floor/roof windows or skids... but the price are quite expensive.

But in same auction sale, for few euros, we have buy some stuff... of C-47 !

https://www.facebook.com/Gliderborne/posts/1712185762331601

 

I had contacts for wheels and a deceleration parachute... but not time to see the persons. Shame...

Not the best Normandy in regard of militaria buying, but for tourism lot of new museums with incredible parts (for example :http://www.paratrooper-museum.org/de/d-day-experience.html) ... fortunately, parts of parachute can still be found on the field for free (this one front of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont)

post-132741-0-16104900-1465810384.jpg

 

 

And normally, this week a nice small part will come from US.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is a fantastic project. Continued good luck with it but it looks like you don't need luck. You are doing well without it!

Ronnie

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Glider-borne

Thank you for your message Ronnie.

I don't know if we need luck, but we need help from everybody who like our project.
Simply make advertisement and this may help us to find the 70 000 parts of a Waco.
On Facebook, it's so easy, just put a like on our page.

 

A new part arrived : a bench for three gliderman carried by the glider Waco with thirteen others on 4 bench and one jump seat.

post-132741-0-55463000-1467201555.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

Great project! Respect for all the time, effort and money put into it!

 

Regarding the discussion on grey v.s. OD color, see this piece of glider I have from dz Overasselt, The Netherlands.

You'll see grey and green on the same piece. The green is over the grey, so it is my assumption that grey was the basic color of the canvas. Perhaps the grey or partial grey gliders as seen in previous posted photos where just not finished painting yet due to delivery deadlines? Just thinking out loud...

post-10029-0-09541800-1475690218_thumb.jpg

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I believe the grey is a weather resistant coating, (UV), that was applied to the canvas prior to the final OD coating. I think Glider-borne referred to it in post #79. I believe it's basically powdered aluminum added to the basic nitrocellulose varnish. Don't know if it was brushed or sprayed on, or how many coats were to be applied.

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  • 1 year later...

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