| CG-5 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Military transport Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight | 1942 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Program cost | $53,028 in 1942 |
The St. Louis CG-5 was a 1940s American prototype military transport glider designed and built by the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation. [1]
In 1941 the United States Army Air Force decided to use secondary sources to boost aircraft production and the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation was contracted to design and build a prototype of both an eight-seat and fifteen-seat troop carrying glider. [1] In total with the St. Louis examples, eight prototypes were ordered from different aircraft manufacturers.
The model SL-5 eight seat glider was given the military designation CG-5 [2] and the prototype designated XCG-5. Howard C. Blosom test flew the XCG-5 from Lambert Field in 1942. [3] It proved to have serious aerodynamic flaws and structural problems causing Dutch Roll at speed. [1] The heavier fifteen-seat glider (designated the XCG-6) was not built. [2]
The USAAF ordered the Waco CG-3 for the eight/nine seat requirement, although only 100 were built. The fifteen-seat requirement was met by the Waco CG-4 of which more than 13,000 were built.
Data from skyways
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Military gliders have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g., C-47 Skytrain or Dakota, or bombers relegated to secondary activities, e.g., Short Stirling. Most military gliders do not soar, although there were attempts to build military sailplanes as well, such as the DFS 228.
The XCG-16 was a military transport/assault glider ordered by the Army Air Force, from General Airborne Transport Co., for competition against the Waco CG-13A at Wright Field.
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 Waco CG-3A was a US light troop military glider of World War II.
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 named Hadrian in British military service.
The Chase XCG-18A and YC-122 Avitruc was a military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and produced in limited numbers in the United States in the late 1940s, initially as a glider, but definitively in powered form. The design was based on the CG-14 cargo glider but was substantially larger and featured all-metal construction. It was a high-wing cantilever monoplane. The fuselage was of rectangular cross-section and featured a loading ramp at its rear. The main undercarriage units were carried at the sides of the fuselage and were fixed, while the nosewheel was retractable. In its powered form, two radial engines were fitted in nacelles in the wings.
The Chase XCG-20, also known as the XG-20 and by the company designation MS-8 Avitruc, was a large assault glider developed immediately after World War II by the Chase Aircraft Company for the United States Air Force, and was the largest glider ever built in the United States. The XG-20 did not see production due to a change in USAF requirements, however, it was modified into the successful Fairchild C-123 Provider twin-engined transport aircraft which saw extensive service in the Vietnam War.
The Douglas XCG-17 was an American assault glider, developed by the conversion of a C-47 Skytrain twin-engine transport during World War II. Although the XCG-17 was successfully tested, the requirement for such a large glider had passed, and no further examples of the type were built; one additional C-47, however, was converted in the field to glider configuration briefly during 1946 for evaluation, but was quickly reconverted to powered configuration.
The Waco CG-13 was an American military transport glider aircraft developed during World War II.
The Kokusai Ki-59 was an early 1940s light transport monoplane built by Nippon Kokusai Koku Kogyo K.K for the Imperial Japanese Army as a development of the Teradako-ken TK-3 which had first flown in 1938.
The Martin MB-1 was an American large biplane bomber designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the United States Army Air Service in 1918. It was the first purpose-built bomber produced by the United States.
The Schweizer cargo glider designs were a series of design proposals made to the United States Army Air Forces by the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation of Elmira, New York during the Second World War. None of the designs was accepted by the USAAF and no cargo gliders were built by Schweizer during the war.
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 St. Louis YPT-15 was an American two-seat primary training biplane, built by the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation for use by the United States Army Air Corps. 13 examples of the type were acquired, serving in the late 1930s.
The Chase CG-14, also known as the G-14 or Model MS.1, was an assault glider manufactured by Chase Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The aircraft failed to progress beyond the prototype stage, being overtaken by larger, improved glider designs.
The Frankfort CG-1 was a proposed Second World War American transport glider to be built for the United States Army, none were built and the programme was cancelled.
The Bowlus CG-8 was a prototype Second World War American transport glider to be built for United States Army, one was built but the type did not enter production and the programme was cancelled.
The Bowlus CG-7 was a prototype Second World War American transport glider to be built for United States Army, one was built but the type did not enter production and the programme was cancelled.
The Douglas CG-19 was a late 1940s assault glider project conceived by the Douglas Aircraft Company.