Waco 10

The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series is a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the Advance Aircraft Company, later the Waco Aircraft Company.

Design and development The Waco 10 was a larger span development of the Waco 9, both single-engined three-seat single-bay biplanes constructed around steel-tube frames. The wing covering was fabric, and both upper and lower planes carried ailerons, which were strut linked. The two passengers sat side by side in a cockpit under the upper wing and ahead of the pilot, who had a separate cockpit. It had a split-axle fixed undercarriage and a tailwheel. The main undercarriage was fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers, unusual at the time on a light aircraft. The fin could be trimmed on the ground to offset engine torque, and the tailplane could be trimmed in flight. Initially it was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled 90° V-8 engine producing .

Its first flight was in 1927. It was numerically the most important type to be built by Waco, with at least 1,623 built over a period of 7 years from 1927 to 1933 and was fitted with a very large variety of engines of radial and V configuration.

Operational history

The Waco 10 turned out to have excellent handling, and there was a ready supply of war-surplus Curtiss engines. It was widely used for the popularisation of aeronautics through barnstorming and joyrides, and was also much used as a trainer and by small operators for charter flights.

Variants In 1928, after the Waco 10 had entered production, Waco changed its designation system so that the basic model 10, powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine became the GXE.

Later aircraft used three-letter designations, the first denoting the engine (except for the two mailplanes), the second denoting the wing installed, S or T meaning Straight or Tapered wing, and the final O indicating it was a derivative of the 10. An -A suffix indicated an armed variant intended for export. EarlyDesignationPost-1928DesignationMarketingDesignationEnginePower10GXE90Curtiss OX-510-WASO220-TWright J-510-TATOWright J-5BSO/BSO-ABS-165Wright J-6-5CSOC-225Wright J-6-7CTOWright J-6-710-HDSOHispano-Suiza 8A or EHSOPackard DR-980 DieselHTOPackard DR-980 DieselJTOWright J-6-9JYMMailplaneWright J-6-9JWMMailplaneWright J-6-9KSOKinner K-5OSOKinner C-5PSOJacobs radialsQSOContinental A70RSOWarner Scarab240-AContinental W-670300-A300 hp radial

Apart from the water-cooled V-8 Curtiss and Hispano-Suiza engines, all of the rest were air-cooled radials.

Other engines were fitted experimentally, without unique designations, including the Rausie, Ryan-Siemens, and Milwaukee Tank engine. This last engine was an air-cooled version of the Curtiss OX-5, and was intended as an aircraft engine.

The JYM and JWM were mailplane derivatives with a 14" fuselage stretch.

In the 1990s the unrelated The WACO Aircraft Company in Forks, Washington offered a homebuilt kit version of the ATO model.

The WACO 240-A was a straight-wing fighter, built for export, powered by Wright engine. At least six were bought by the Cantonese Chinese aviation services. They were armed with twin .30 Browning machine guns and had racks for five or two bombs.

There was also an export model WACO Pursuit 300T-A, with Wright or Wasp Jr engine.

Military designations D1W Brazilian Navy designation for the CSO.

Surviving aircraft Year Model Serial # Registration Location References1927GXE781N312DCGatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport, Tennessee1928GXE1388N6675KHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights, Missouri1928GXE1464NC4899Ohio History Connection1928GXE1521C-GAFDCanada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario1928GXE1554NC6974Eagles Mere Air Museum at Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania1928GXE1586NC5852privately owned and based at Covington, Ohio1928GXE1644/3065CF-AOIReynolds-Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta1928GXE1810N6513Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum1928ASOA-10NC7091Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida1928ATOA-4NC5814EAA AirVenture Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin1928ATOA-20N6714Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum1929ATOA-65CF-BPMReynolds-Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, previously owned by Vintage Wings of Canada, Gatineau, Québec1929ATOA-103NC906HHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights, Missouri1929CTOA-118N13918WACO Aircraft Museum, Troy, Ohio1929GXE1801NC7970Has Curtiss OXX-6 V8 engine at Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter San Antonio Texas1929GXE1869NC8529privately owned and based at Corning, Iowa1929DSO3006N605NWestern Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum1929CSO1657N7662Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum1929CTOAT-3005N516MWestern Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum1930ATOD-3128NC663NHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights, Missouri1930CSO3140N671NHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights, Missouri1932CTOA-3596NC280WHistoric Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights, Missouri

Specifications (Waco GXE)

Waco 10

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