| Waco E series | |
|---|---|
 Airworthy 1941-built Waco SRE at Poplar Grove Airport, near Belvidere, Illinois, in August 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Four-seat cabin biplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Waco Aircraft Company |
| Status | some still flying in 2011 |
| Primary user | private owner pilots |
| Number built | 30[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1939–1942 |
| Introduction date | 1940 |
| First flight | 1939 |
| Developed from | Waco C series[2] |
The Waco E series is a small family of American-built cabin biplanes built between 1939 and 1942, which differed primarily by engine installation.
Development and design
The E series was the final development of the prewar Waco line of biplane designs. A full four-seater, it had the best performance of any of the Wacos. First flown in 1939, it had a much slimmer and more streamlined fuselage than earlier Waco C and S models and heavily staggered unequal-span parallel-chord wings with rounded tips. Wings were plywood-skinned, and also had wire cross-bracing between the wings in place of the solid struts used on previous models.[3]
Engines varied in power from 285 to 450 hp (213 to 336 kW), giving the E series a high cruising speed for the period of up to 195 mph (314 km/h).[3] Production ceased in 1942. [a]
Operational history
The E series was sold to wealthier private pilot owners who required the comfort of a fully enclosed cabin and a high cruising speed, combined with a longer range. Because of the type's good performance, 15 examples were impressed by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II for communications work as the UC-72. Several of the USAAF examples were returned to civilian use after the end of the war and five E series aircraft remained airworthy in 2001.[3]
Variants
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(Source: [1])
- ARE Aristocrat
- 300 hp (224 kW) Jacobs L-6 (4 built, one impressed as UC-72A)
- HRE Aristocrat
- 285 hp (213 kW) Lycoming R-680 (5 built, 2 impressed as UC-72C)
- SRE Aristocrat
- 400 hp (298 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB-2 (21 built, 12 impressed as UC-72)
- WRE Aristocrat
- 420 hp (313 kW) Wright R-975 - model offered to potential customers, but none built
Impressed aircraft
- UC-72
- 12 impressed Waco SRE for USAAF
- UC-72A
- One impressed Waco ARE
- UC-72C
- Two impressed Waco HRE
Specifications (SRE)
Data from [3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 3 passengers
- Length: 27 ft 10 in (8.48 m)
- Wingspan: 34 ft 9 in (10.59 m)
- Height: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
- Empty weight: 2,734 lb (1,240 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,200 lb (1,905 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985 SB-2 nine-cylinder radial air-cooled piston, 400 hp (300 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 202 mph (325 km/h, 176 kn)
- Cruise speed: 195 mph (314 km/h, 169 kn)
- Stall speed: 57 mph (92 km/h, 50 kn)
- Range: 1,070 mi (1,720 km, 930 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 23,500 ft (7,200 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,550 ft/min (7.9 m/s)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Footnotes
- ^ The Waco GXE of 1929/30 was an unrelated biplane design with non-staggered wings.
Notes
- ^ a b Eckland, K. O. (26 April 2009). "Waco". Aerofiles. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ Green, William (1965). The Aircraft of The World. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. p. 306.
- ^ a b c d Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Airlife Publishing Ltd. p. 576. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.
External links
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- Details and photographs of the Waco E series on Aerofiles
