Waco CRG
Waco · United States · first flew 1930 · light aircraft
The Waco CRG was an American open-cockpit sporting biplane of the early 1930s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.83 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Conventional biplane with straight wings
- Radial engine initially fitted with a speedring cowling
- Extended landing-gear shock struts and a tailskid
A compact open-cockpit biplane with a radial engine and long landing-gear struts, 6.8 m long on a 9.3 m span.
Specifications
- The Waco CRG has a length of 6.83 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.32 m (31 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 248 km/h (154 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed specifically to win the 1930 Ford Air Tour, a transcontinental reliability race that Waco had already won in 1928 and 1929. It was a conventional biplane with straight wings with a special M18 airfoil, powered by a 240 hp Wright J-6-7 radial.
Variants
Two CRGs were built. NC600Y was re-engined in 1939 with a 350 hp Wright R-760E-2 and used for skywriting.
Where you'll see it
To prevent Waco winning for a third time, Ford changed the rules so that only a Ford Trimotor could win; the two CRGs finished second and third. One later ended its flying career as a cropduster in Mississippi in 1938, and NC600Y became the original Pepsi-Cola Skywriter.
Related aircraft
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