| Waco A series | |
|---|---|
| |
| Waco PBA biplane of 1932 at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum near St Louis Missouri in 2006 showing the wide side-by-side seating layout | |
| Role | two-seat side-by-side biplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Waco Aircraft Company |
| Introduction | 1932 |
| Status | a few examples still extant in 2009 |
| Primary user | private owners |
The Waco A series is a range of light American-built twin side-by-side seater sporting biplanes of the early 1930s.
The Waco A series was introduced in 1932 as an affordable private-owner aircraft with cross-country range and baggage capacity and a more sporting image than the larger Waco F series. The A series offered a number of engine options which had varying sub-designations. The power range lay between the KBA with a 100 hp (75 kW) Kinner engine and the later UBA with a 210 hp (157 kW) Continental powerplant.[1]
The PLA "Sportsman" of 1933 introduced a longer wider fuselage and a higher useful load and had a 170 hp (127 kW) Jacobs LA-1 radial engine. The last model in the series was the ULA, also of 1933, with a 210 hp (157 kW) powerplant.[2]
The A series was bought mainly by private pilot owners with a sporting inclination. Relatively few were produced and the type survives in small numbers in 2009. A PBA is on display in the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Dauster Field near St Louis, Missouri.
Data from Aerofiles[3]
Data from Green, 1965, p. 306
General characteristics
Performance
