Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio

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Waco YMF-5C biplane, built in the year 2000

Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio (WACO) was an aircraft company located in Troy, Ohio, USA. Between 1919 and 1946, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes.

WACO's history started in 1919 when businessmen Clayton Brukner and Elwood Junkin met barnstorming pilots Charley Meyers and George Weaver. Although their initial floatplane design was a failure, they went on to found the WACO company in 1920 and established themselves as producers of reliable, rugged planes that were popular with travelling businessmen, postal services and explorers, especially after the company switched to producing closed-cabin biplanes after 1924.

During World War 2, Waco produced large numbers of gliders for the RAF and US Air Force for airborne operations, especially during the Normandy Invasion and Operation Market Garden. The CG-4 Hadrian was the most numerous version produced.

Today, Waco (with its sister company Centennial Aviation) builds a small number of aircraft based upon the original manufacturing plans which were filed with the Library of Congress and thus available. The aircraft are constructed on the airport at the Battle Creek / Kalamazoo airport in Battle Creek, Michigan. They also repair original "classic" WACO's.

Many systems, like brakes, have been upgraded to newer and safer technology. They are built with much of the original hand construction methods and are sought after as a classical open-cockpit aircraft, but with modern electronics.

In America, Waco (referring to the aircraft) is usually pronounced "wa", as in "water", "co".

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