Model CG-2 | |
---|---|
A CG-2 on display | |
Role | Primary Glider |
Manufacturer | Cessna Aircraft Company |
Designer | Clyde Cessna, Eldon Cessna |
Introduction | 1930 |
Produced | 1930-1932 |
The Cessna Model CG-2 was an American primary glider built by the Cessna Aircraft Company in the early 1930s.
In 1930, the Cessna Aircraft Company was suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, which drastically reduced civil aircraft sales. Clyde Cessna, the company's principal founder, needed a solution. Clyde's son Eldon Cessna suggested building gliders, which were simple and cheap to construct, and would keep the company afloat until customers resumed purchasing more advanced (and expensive) powered aircraft.
The result was a simple primary glider known as the Model CG-2, known internally as the Cessna Glider, model 2, introduced in 1930 and inspired by German primary gliders of the era. It was marketed by Cessna via catalog at a price of only $398 ($6,972 in 2022); one reason for its low price was that it was sold as a kit, crated with an assembly manual and a bungee cord launch system. The advertising campaign promised that "man might fly first, without power, in safety"; another advertisement stated that "glider pilots will be future transport pilots".
Production figures for the Model CG-2 are not precisely known. Cessna records show that only 54 CG-2 gliders were sold; however, some sources state that Cessna manufactured at least 300 CG-2s. [1]
CG-2 sales generated sufficient funds to keep Cessna operating until 1932, when the company shut down for a period of two years. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Once the CG-2 had been assembled the glider could be launched via the bungee cord method, as supplied with the glider, or it could be towed by an automobile or airplane. [1]
Longer flights could also be achieved by launching the glider off a hill or ridge. [3]
There are two known examples of a CG-2 on display in a museum.
Data from AirVenture Museum website [7]
General characteristics
Performance
The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy career in the U.S. military, as well as in other countries.
The Rutan Quickie is a lightweight single-seat taildragger aircraft of composite construction, configured with tandem wings.
The Bensen B-8 is a small, single-seat autogyro developed in the United States in the 1950s. Although the original manufacturer stopped production in 1987, plans for homebuilders are still available as of 2019. Its design was a refinement of the Bensen B-7, and like that aircraft, the B-8 was initially built as an unpowered rotor-kite. It first flew in this form in 1955, and on 6 December a powered version, designated B-8M first flew. The design proved to be extremely popular and long-lasting, with thousands of sets of plans sold over the next thirty years.
The Aeronca C-2 is an American light monoplane designed by Jean A. Roche and built by Aeronca Aircraft.
The Schweizer SGS 2-33 is an American two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, training glider that was built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.
The Waco CG-15 was an American military glider, which was developed from the CG-4. Although outwardly similar to its predecessor and carrying the same number of passengers, a number of changes in the design, including shortened wings and a more streamlined nose enabled it to travel faster. 1,000 were ordered and 473 were delivered before production ceased. Two were transferred to the Navy for testing as the XLR2W-1. One unit was converted into an XPG-3 powered glider which used two Jacobs R-755-9 radial engines.
The Cessna Model A is a 1920s American high-wing four-seat tourer built by the Cessna Aircraft Company, the first in a long line of high-wing single-engined monoplanes.
The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used American troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4A by the United States Army Air Forces, and given the service name Hadrian by the British.
The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rather than at the front. It was the last Wright model to have an open-frame tail. The Model B was a dedicated two-seater with the pilot and a passenger sitting side by side on the leading edge of the lower wing.
The Waco CG-13 was an American military transport glider aircraft developed during World War II.
The Scaled Composites Model 81 Catbird is a high-efficiency five-seat single-engine all-composite general aviation aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. It is unusual in that it incorporates both a small forward wing and a small conventional horizontal stabilizer on the tail.
The Pratt-Read TG-32 was a 1940s American military training glider, designed and built by the Gould Aeronautical Division of the piano manufacturer Pratt, Read & Company of Deep River, Connecticut, for the United States Navy. The Pratt-Read glider was a monoplane glider having a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and wooden wings and tail. The unique "polywog (tadpole)" shape was the suggestion of aerodynamicist Charles Townsend Ludington, former owner of the Ludington Line.
The Schreder Airmate HP-10 is an American, high wing, single seat, FAI Standard Class glider that was designed by Richard Schreder. Airmate was the name of Schreder's design company.
The Explorer PG-1 Aqua Glider is an American single seat, biplane glider that was designed by Bill Skiliar in 1959 and made available as plans for amateur construction. The prototype was built with help from a troop of Air Explorer Scouts that same year.
The Schneider DFS 108-14 SG-38 Schulgleiter is a German high-wing, cable-braced, single-seat primary glider that was designed by Schneider, Rehberg and Hofmann at Edmund Schneider's factory at Grunau in 1938, hence the designation. It was produced by several builders, including Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS).
The WACO primary glider or simply WACO glider, was an early product of the Waco Aircraft Company. The low cost glider was intended to be flown from low hills or towed by a vehicle.
The Peel Z-1 Glider Boat, also called the Peel Flying Boat, is an American biplane, two-seats-in-tandem, flying boat glider that was designed and produced by the Peel Glider Boat Company, starting in about 1930.
The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American utility aircraft designed and built by Textron Aviation. It was launched on November 28, 2017, with an order for 50 from FedEx Express, with the aircraft designed for the needs of its FedEx Feeder service. It made its first flight on May 17, 2020, and was type certified on March 11, 2022. FedEx took delivery of the first production model on May 9, 2022.
The Lancair 200 and Lancair 235 are a family of American amateur-built aircraft that were designed by Lance Neibauer and produced by his company, Lancair of Redmond, Oregon. The Lancair 200 was initially called the Lancer 200, but the name was changed due to a naming conflict. It was first shown at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in July 1985. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit, for amateur construction.
The Sling HW is a South African four-seat, single-engine, high-wing homebuilt aircraft sold in kit form by Sling Aircraft of Johannesburg South.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)