Waco YC-62

[hesham]

Hi,

The Waco YC-62 was project for twin engined high wing
military transport monoplane,powered by 1200 hp P & W
R-1830-92 engines,and it had span 30.48m,length 22.50m
and estimated speed 241 km/h.

 

[Jos Heyman]

The C-62 was a short range transport aircraft for supplying forward areas. 13 YC-62s were ordered with serials 42-12554/12566 as well as 240 C-62 production aircraft with serials 42-35584/35823. The project was, however, cancelled before any aircraft were completed.

 

[uncle wart]

C-62 1942 - Short- to medium-range troop transport/cargo carrier made of non-strategic wood, similar in size and capacity to Douglas C-47. ChwM with two P&W R-1830-92. Assigned AAF s/ns—13 YC-62 [42-12554/12566], 240 C-62 [42-35584/35823]—but orders in Oct 1941 and Jan 1942 for 253 planes were cancelled in Sep 1943 after none were built because of production problems.

From AeroFiles.com

 

[Kim Margosein]

This project resembles the CG-14 IIRC. Was there a connection?

 

[Jemiba]

Had a look into Mrazek "Kampfsegler im 2.Weltkrieg", and I think,
there are more similarities to the never built Snead XCG-11, apart
from the tail with double fins for the C-62. Snead probably wasn't
a large company, able to handle a larger contract, so maybe the
contract for a powered version was given to Waco.
Attache pictures from the above mentioned book.

 

[Jos Heyman]

I would not go down the path of suggesting that the Snead XCG-11 and Waco C-62 were related in any way.

According to 'Development and Procurement of Gliders in the AAF 1941-1944 (AAF Historical Studies No. 47)', p. 35, the XCG-11 was to be constructed by Snead & Co. of Jersey City, NJ. against an order placed on 21 April 1942. The aircraft was to have a capacity for 30 troops, had a span of 112' and a length of 35' and was to use steel tubing in its construction. A wind tunnel model was delivered on 24 July 1942 and the entire programme was cancelled on 9 June 1943. As I stated before the serials were 42-68302/68303.

The Waco C-62 had different dimensions (span 100', length 73'10") and was cancelled in September 1943. The earliest serials were 42-12594/12566, ie well before the serials of the XCG-11.

I think it is plausible that the C-62 was based on a Waco glider project, but not one of which information has survived, at least not until now.

 

[Stargazer]

More about the YC-62 project has surfaced, notably since a member of the R/C Groups forum dug up the original wind tunnel and plans for the project.



In 1941, the U.S. Air Corps ordered a new transport aircraft for the transport of ammunition, weapons and a variety of equipment. The specific requirements put forward were high capacity, larger cargo doors and a special ramp for loading and unloading equipment.

One of the firms that submitted USAAC cargo plane projects was Waco Aircraft. In the prewar period it handled multi-purpose light aircraft, and in the war years produced the CG-3, CG-4, CG-13 and CG-15 gliders at its plants. Waco's 1941 cargo project, the Model 2-FBH, featured an original approach. The design of the aircraft was all-wood (!) with minimal use of strategic materials. In order to facilitate the loading/unloading Americans followed the same path as the German engineers who created the Gotha Go 242 glider. However, in contrast with the Germans, the American plane had only one tail boom with a spaced twin-finned tail at its end. The crew of the aircraft cargo hold was placed in the front of the fuselage. The cargo bay, with a maximum width of 2.5 meters, could accommodate 22 soldiers with full uniforms or 2,000 kg of cargo. The aircraft was planned with two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 (1200 hp) radial engines located in underwing pods to which the fixed landing gear was attached.

In early 1942, the project was considered by the leadership of USAAC, and even received the official designation YC-62. The program had not even been completed when the Fairchild C-82 was selected as the winner. The most weighty argument put forward was its two-fold higher capacity. Thus, the pre-production contract for 13 pre-production YC-62 aircraft (serial numbers 42-12554/12566) and 240 production C-62 aircraft (42-35584/35823) was canceled. It would seem that the aircraft was completed only in wind tunnel form, but according to one source, the aircraft was in final production when the program was cancelled and scrapped at the end of WWII.


Length: 22.50 m
Wingspan: 30.48 m
Height: 5.82 m
Empty weight: 9825 kg
Take-off weight: 13,381 kg
Maximum speed: 241 km/h
Ceiling: 5182 m
Range: 966 km
Engines: two 1200 hp P & W R-1830-39 14-cylinder radials with 3-blade propellers
Crew: 2 people
Payload: 22 soldiers or up to 2,000 kg (2 tons) of cargo.



Sources:

• http://aviarmor.net/aww2/projects/usa/waco_yc62.htm
• http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=694726

 

[hesham]

Also from the same source;


Schiffer - The 'C' Planes - US Cargo Aircraft 1925- to the Present

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

From the 16 August 1943 issue of Aviation Week.