WACO YMF Model F5

In 1986, WACO Classic Aircraft Corporation began reproducing the WACO YMF from original plans available in the Library of Congress. Despite the popularity of civilian WACO biplanes in the 1920s and 1930s and contracts for military planes in the 1940s, the original Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio went bankrupt in 1946. The current YMF reconstruction incorporates the details of the original plane with modern updates in materials, avionics and electronics (including an MP3 player!).

The plane has a crew of one pilot. The passengers sit on a bench seat in a single cockpit. The aircraft burns 9.23 gallons per hour at routine usage. A full tank of fuel costs $98.

Subassemblies: Body +2, biplane Wings +3, 3 fixed wheels +0.

Powertrain: 205-kW HP gasoline engine with 205-kW aerial propeller, 2,000-kWs lead acid battery.

Fuel: 49 gallons aviation gasoline (Fire 13) in ultralight tank [Wings] (Fire +2).

Occupancy: 1 XCS, 2 XPS.

Cargo: 5 cf (100 lbs.).

Armor F RL B T U

Body: 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5

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

Wheels: 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5

Equipment:

Body: Medium range radio, navigation instruments, transponder, autopilot, GPS, and Sound System.

Statistics:

Size: 23'x30'x8.5' Payload: 0.51 tons Lwt.: 1.39 tons

Volume: 125 cf. Maint.: 110 hours Price: $300,000

HT: 8. HPs: 40 Body, 87 each Wing, 4 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 214 aAccel: 5 aDecel: 26 gMR: 6.5 gSR: 2

Stall Speed: 59 mph. Take-Off Run: 200 yards. Landing Run: 200 yards.

gSpeed: 155 gAccel: 10 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 2

Ground Pressure Very High. 1/8 Off-Road speed.

Design Notes:

Body is 74.8 cf; wheels are 3.74 cf; wings are 46.6 cf. Body (and wheel) structure is Extra Light, Standard with Good Streamlining. Armor is expensive metal. Wings are Extra Light, Cheap materials (wood) with Non-Rigid armor (cloth) and Good Streamlining. Wing volume was reverse-calculated from actual wing area. Mechanical controls. Design Loaded weight is 2,806 lbs.; this was lowered 1% to the actual value. Stall speed was only 23 mph (or 50 mph using the calculation on p. W149 or p. VXii30); the real-world value is listed. Calculated landing/take-off runs were 348 yards; the real-world values are listed. Design cost was $32,889; this value was used for determining the Maintenance Interval, the approximate purchase price for a new biplane in 2002 is listed.

Variants:

The plane can be purchased with several optional packages. These include a 25-gallon auxiliary tank in the wings, rear-view mirrors, a tow hook (for gliders or aerial banners), a deluxe interior of fine quality materials (leather seats, etc.), and/or floats rather than wheels. See p. VXii18 for the size, cost, and effects on aerial performance of towed signs.

From the Aerodrome for GURPS