WACO UBF-2 Tourist

The Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio produced a wide variety of biplanes for civilian use from 1920 to 1946. They featured open-cockpit designs as well as very popular closed-cabin biplanes. The UFB-2 Tourist is a typical design from 1933. The company went bankrupt in 1946.

A UFB-2 floatplane is featured in the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The UBF-2 seats three: a pilot and up to two passengers. The additional passenger space was often used for cargo instead of people. The plane uses 7.85 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage. Historical range was 400 miles. A full tank of fuel costs $8. Purchase price new in 1933 was $5,025.

Subassemblies: Recon Fighter chassis +2; Recon Fighter wings with Biplane option +2; 2 fixed wheels +0.

Powertrain: 157-kW HP gasoline engine with 157-kW old prop and 40-gallon fuel tank [Body]; 4,000-kWs battery.

Occ.: 3 XCS Body

Cargo: 65 lbs.

Armor F RL B T U

Body: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C

Wings: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C

Wheels: 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

Equipment:

Body: Medium radio transmitter and receiver, navigation instruments, autopilot.

Statistics:

Size: 21'x30'x9' Payload: 0.46 tons Lwt.: 1.15 tons

Volume: 96 Maint.: 127 hours Cost: $2,485

HT: 6. HPs: 15 Body, 50 each Wing, 3 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 115 aAccel: 3 aDecel: 16 aMR: 4 aSR: 1

Stall Speed: 40 mph. Take Off Run: 178 yards. Landing Run: 140 yards.

gSpeed: 187 gAccel: 9 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 2

Ground Pressure: Very High. 1/8 Off-Road Speed.

wSpeed: 16 wAccel: 3 wDecel: 2.5 (4) wMR: 0.25 wSR: 1

Draft: 1.1'. Flotation Rating: 4,120 lbs.

Design Notes:

A historical wing area was unable to be located, but was estimated at 233 sf from the modern-day WACO YMF F5. Design loaded weight was decreased 38 lbs. to the historical. Design aSpeed and stall speed were 120 and 43 mph respectively. Historical values were used for all calculations when available. The design purchases a 45-gallon fuel tank; the historical capacity is shown.

As a floatplane, the design purchases two Mini pontoons with PD 2, DR 3. They have 30 HP each and are +0 to hit. This increases the aircraft's loaded weigh to 2,730 lbs. (2,635 lbs. historically; design weight over by 3%). The plane requires an 8 mph tail wind to become airborne from the water.

Variants:

The XJW-1 (1933) were two UFB-2s modified for use with the USS Macon. They featured reinforced wings in order to accommodate the aerial landing hook use to board the mothership, similar to the Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk. The plane's historical weight was 2,355 lbs., with aSpeed 129.

From the Aerodrome for GURPS

© 2008 by Jim Antonicic