Chase YC-122 Avitruc

Last updated
XG-18/YC-122 Avitruc
Chase YC-122C Avitruc.jpg
YC-122C
RoleMilitary transport aircraft
Manufacturer Chase
Designer Michael Stroukoff
First flight18 December 1947
Produced1947–1953
Number built18
Developed from Chase CG-14
Developed into Hiller X-18

The Chase XCG-18A and YC-122 Avitruc (known internally as the Chase MS.7) 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.

Contents

Design and development

The USAAF's experiences with cargo gliders during World War II indicated a role for a similar aircraft in the post-war inventory, but one capable of carrying a substantially heavier load and with greater recoverability than the essentially expendable wartime wooden assault gliders. Chase's CG-14 was selected as a starting point, and in January 1947, the USAAF placed an order for an enlarged, metal version of this aircraft, initially designated XCG-14B but redesignated to XCG-18A to reflect the basically all-new nature of the aircraft. When the prototype flew that December, it was the world's first all-metal transport glider. [1] One of the major improvements was the use of a thinner wing section which allowed high tow speeds and small aircraft like the P-47 fighter being able to tow it into the air and to its release point. [2]

Operational history

In March 1948, the service (now the USAF) ordered four more aircraft under the new designation XG-18A and a fifth to be fitted with engines as the YC-122. The air force eventually lost interest in purchasing assault gliders, but continued with the development of the powered variant, purchasing two more examples for evaluation as the YC-122A and redesignating the second of these as the YC-122B when the original Pratt & Whitney engines were swapped for Wright units. This aircraft would form the basis for the definitive service trials version, the YC-122C.

Nine of these aircraft were ordered and although they performed well in evaluation (first at Sewart AFB, Tennessee, later at Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma), the USAF no longer saw a need for a small transport aircraft and cancelled the project. Despite the short-lived history of the aircraft, it was used extensively at Ardmore AFB. By February 1955, at least one pilot, Captain Phillip C. Gromley of the 16th Troop Carrier Squadron, 463rd Troop Carrier Wing, achieved 1,000 hours in piloting the aircraft. [3] All aircraft were replaced by Fairchild C-123B Providers by July 1955. The last YC-122C assault transport was flown to Tucson, Arizona, on 30 August 1955, for storage at Davis-Monthan AFB. Captain Gromely is recorded as making the final flight of a YC-122C to Tucson. The remaining machines served on in utility roles until 1957.

Following their retirement, the fuselage of one of the YC-122s was used in the construction of the Hiller X-18.

Variants

A YC-122 in flight Chase YC-122 in flight.jpg
A YC-122 in flight
Chase MS.7
Company designation for the XCG-14B / XCG-18A
XCG-18A
XCG-14B re-designated
XG-18A
revised glider version (4 built)
YC-122
prototype powered version, an XG-18A with Pratt & Whitney R-2000-11 engines (one built)
YC-122A
refined version of the YC-122 (two built)
YC-122B
YC-122A re-engined with Wright R-1820-101 engines (one converted)
YC-122C
definitive service trials version (nine built)

Operators

Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Specifications (YC-122C)

Chase YG-18A 3-view line drawing.png
3-view line drawing of the Chase YG-18A
Chase YC-122B 3-view line drawing.png
3-view line drawing of the Chase YC-122B

Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52 [4] & American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925 [5]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas C-47 Skytrain</span> Military transport aircraft derived from DC-3

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troop transport, cargo, paratrooper, for towing gliders and military cargo parachute drops. The C-47 remained in front-line service with various military operators for many years. It was produced in approximately triple the numbers as the larger, much heavier payload Curtiss C-46 Commando, which filled a similar role for the U.S. military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild C-123 Provider</span> Military transport aircraft series by Chase Aircraft, later Fairchild Aircraft

The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, it went on to serve the U.S. Coast Guard and various air forces in Southeast Asia. During the War in Vietnam, the C-123 was used to deliver supplies, to evacuate the wounded, for agent insertions behind enemy lines, and was also used to spray Agent Orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotha Go 242</span> Transport glider used by the Luftwaffe during World War II

The Gotha Go 242 was a transport glider used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. It was an upgrade over the DFS 230 in both cargo/troop capacity and flight characteristics. It saw limited combat action. There were multiple glider variants, and it became the basis for a transport aircraft, the: Gotha Go 244.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing C-108 Flying Fortress</span> Type of aircraft

The Boeing C-108 Flying Fortress was an American transport aircraft used during World War II. Four were converted from B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiller X-18</span> Experimental cargo transport aircraft

The Hiller X-18 was an experimental cargo transport aircraft designed to be the first testbed for tiltwing and V/STOL technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Aircraft</span>

The Chase Aircraft Company, founded in 1943, was an American aircraft manufacturer, primarily constructing assault gliders and military transport aircraft. Lacking space for expansion, the company was purchased by Henry J. Kaiser in 1951. Plans to produce the C-123 transport for the United States Air Force collapsed amid scandal, and the company closed in 1953. A successor company, Stroukoff Aircraft, continued experimental work for several years before closing in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stroukoff YC-134</span> Type of aircraft

The Stroukoff YC-134, designed in 1956, was based heavily on the Fairchild C-123 Provider, itself designed by Michael Stroukoff. The United States military contracted with Stroukoff Aircraft Corporation to develop an improved version of the aircraft, combining features that the company had developed for the YC-123D and YC-123E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Airborne Transport XCG-16</span> Type of aircraft

The XCG-16 was a military transport/assault glider ordered by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), from General Airborne Transport Co., for competition against the Waco CG-13A at Wright Field. The XCG-16’s preferred tow aircraft was the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerotec A-122 Uirapuru</span> Type of aircraft

The Aerotec A-122 Uirapuru was a Brazilian military trainer aircraft. It was a low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage that accommodated the pilot and instructor side-by-side. It first flew on 2 June 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gribovsky G-11</span> Type of aircraft

The Gribovsky G-11 was a Soviet light troop/cargo military glider of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakovlev Yak-14</span> Type of aircraft

The Yakovlev Yak-14 was the largest assault glider ever to enter service with the Soviet Air Force. It was introduced in 1949, at a time when other air forces were abandoning the glider concept. In 1950 a Yak-14 became the first glider to fly over the North Pole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">309th Maintenance Wing</span> Military unit

The 309th Maintenance Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force last based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. On July 12, 2012 it was inactivated and its function became part of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase XCG-20</span> Transport glider, U.S. Air Force, 1950

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas XCG-17</span> Prototype for a sailing military aircraft, based on the Douglas DC-3

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase XC-123A</span> Type of aircraft

The Chase XC-123A was an experimental transport aircraft developed by Chase Aircraft. The first jet-powered transport built for the United States Air Force, it was intended for use as a high-speed transport for high-priority cargo and personnel. The XC-123A was determined to have insufficient advantages over existing types in service, and did not go into production. The sole prototype was converted into the piston-powered Stroukoff YC-123D to evaluate boundary layer control systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Stroukoff</span> American architect

Michael Stroukoff was a Russian White Guard soldier and an American architect and aircraft designer. He served in the White Army during the Russian Revolution before emigrating to the United States in 1922. After spending some time as an architect, he joined the Chase Aircraft Company and designed a number of transport aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Air Force, later starting his own company to perform further aeronautical work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase YCG-14</span> Type of aircraft

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laister-Kauffman CG-10</span> Type of aircraft

The Laister-Kauffman CG-10 was an American military transport glider aircraft developed during World War II.

The Douglas CG-19 was a late 1940s assault glider project conceived by the Douglas Aircraft Company.

References

Notes

  1. World Aircraft Information Files, File 891 Sheet 26. London: Bright Star Publishing.
  2. Hearst Magazines (April 1948). "Combat Glider Carries 30 Men". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. p. 154.
  3. Simmons, G. "Chronological Reminders Of The Past." Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Ardmore Air Force Base, 2014. Retrieved: 26 January 2014.
  4. Bridgman 1951, pp. 214c–215c.
  5. Johnson 2013, p. 192.

Bibliography

  • Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52.London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, 1951.
  • Johnson, E. R. (2013). American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN   978-0-7864-6269-8.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN   0-517-69186-8.
  • World Aircraft Information Files, File 891 Sheet 26–27. London: Bright Star Publishing, 1989.