Warbird Information Exchange

So everyone,

1.) What would you say is the best or most ideal version of the Waco Cabin?

2.) What would be the perfect paint job for a Waco Cabin?

I just thought I'd ask because I think all the cabin wacos are beautiful airplanes and just wonder what taste people have between variants.

Pictures, or links welcome!

Cheers,

David

High on the list is the SRE... mainly because of the 985/450hp but... My favorite is the EGC-8. Clean lines... just think it looks the best. The one in the restoration pics on this forum has a great paint scheme with the red and black. The CUC is good looking right after the EGC-8. I have not been for a ride in a Custom Cabin yet... just two different Standards.

My Waco pics are here...

http://picasaweb.google.com/dtlinn/Wacos#

_________________
Blue Skies,
Dan
http://www.flytoanothertime.com

Take a look at Dan's posting of his photo link and you will see mine at the bottom of the page..."Andy's Waco". To pick a favorite is tough. It depends on what you want to do with it. For a classic looking Cabin with good speed I would have to go with a 1935 CUC-2 with a 350 Wright. For an easy to fly all around fun Cabin then I would choose a 1931 QDC. Even though I am partial to the 1935 YKC-S (having owned and flown the sole flying one the last 10 years), it would not be my first choice if money were no object.

Seems like a hard thing to decide.

Maybe I should reword the question:

What is the sexiest (can I use that word on here?) looking Waco Cabin model ever built, and what paint scheme would make it look even better?

Thanks for the input so far!

-David M

My own personal favourite...........





Al Buchner's 1932 QDC

A QDC is a nice looking airplane. To me, there is no particular one that is sexier. However, they must have either a speedring cowl (QDC, UEC) or a bump cowl (UIC, UKC/YKC, UKC-S/YKC-S, CUC/YOC). That is what helps define sexy to me.

Aww c'mon now. Ya gotta be kiddin' me!!
Sexy Waco Cabin:
1) The Custom sesqiplane wing plan form
2) No pre-crashed landing gear (main oleos are meant to be perp to thrust line and not the ground)
3) Has windows like a modern day Gulfstream (which it was in it's day). Meaning all lined up with thrust line and window, window, window, window.
4) Be exclusive

Well...there's only one that fulfills those specs...



A 1937 *GC-7....preferably an EGC-7! Now THAT'S a handsome aeroplane.
Now that y'all know what's hot, go out and buy the only flying *GC-7 in the world ....
1937 ZGC-7

Oh come now boys. You all know there are only two WACO types that really matter. The S3HDA open cockpit and the SRE cabin. All the WACOs built before those two were just attempts at achieving open cockpit bliss and cabin nirvana.

I'm still waiting for Tulio to find me a WHD because I cant' afford to buy Dick Jackson's S3HDA.

_________________
Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"

Dick Jackson's airplane is actually an S3HD....not an S3HD-A as that was a one-off military version sold to Cuba which was destroyed prior to WWII. The chances of finding a real military D model are ZERO. Of the six JHD models built in 1938, two were lost in a midair collision within a month of delivery, one crashed April 9, 1938, one crashed March 22, 1946, another May 12, 1948 and the last one was scrapped around 1950.

There were 5 WHD's built, one was never sold and was dismantled by the factory. Four went to the Nicaraguan AF with one being destroyed on the delivery flight and the rest were all destroyed with five years. That leaves 3 WHD-A's with one going to Nicaragua (ex NC14130 factory demonstrator to replace the one wrecked on the delivery flight) and the other two were built in 1937 but factory records do not indicate a sale.

There is currently an SRE for sale...NC20967 the ex-GOODYEAR SRE.

WHEELSUP is partial to the EGC-7 because he owns one! Therefore I would consider that a biased opinion and feel we have to discount that one (Just kidding:)) He also has a nifty UEC Waco as well.

One of the things that I've always found strange is that given the number of QCFs and UBFs that have been "restored" to flyable condition from nothing more than a registration number, why has nobody built a S3HD, WHD, or JHD from scratch? I'm certainly not trying to make any judgement call on the whole "paperwings" issue for obvious reasons but if people are going to take the time to re-create a WACO, from what amounts to scratch, why not one of the armed military versions? I assume the plans for the WHD, JHD, and S3HDA still exist?

_________________
Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"

There is one here in Ohio being built. Wings are built (unique to that model only), fuselage welded up, tail feathers welded up, 450 Pratt powered. Not usre how far along past that the airplane is as this has been a long term project of at least 10 years. One of the issues with the D model is the actual lack of drawings as compared to all the other Waco models. There is alot missing which requires alot of guesswork. They are also a little more complicated as compared to any other open Waco. I'd sure like to know if anyone else knows of one being built.

This is getting interesting..... I'm a new Waco fan and don't have a specific favorite model. (that should generate some mail!) but I do kinda prefer models with bump cowls and big wheel pants.
Y'all have had me furiously flipping back to my vintage scrapbook to the Waco model designation charts. blither, blither.....
Doug

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"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."

Several differing opinions about the best, but I'd be surprised if there's much dissent with my nomination for the worst looking Cabin Waco.............

http://www.sfahistory.org/WacoAVN8sfb.jpg

Ugh!

I have had a crush on this bird since i first saw it. I want to marry it.

_________________
"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."