General Airborne Transport XCG-16

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Sat Mar 14, 2020 2:42 pm

General Airborne Transport XCG-16

The XCG-16 was a military transport/assault glider ordered by the Army Air Force, from General Airborne Transport Co., for competition against the Waco CG-13A at Wright Field.

Design of the CG-16 evolved from the lifting fuselage theories of Vincent Burnelli laid out in Patent No. 1,758,498 issued on 13 May 1930, which advocated the use of 'lifting fuselages' providing a high proportion of the total lift. To enter a competition at Wright Field for a new assault glider for the USAAF, Hawley Bowlus and Albert Criz designed a Burnelli style lifting fuselage assault glider as the Bowlus-Criz MC-1.

To prove the concept and aerodynamic qualities Bowlus designed a ½ scale prototype which flew successfully. The flight tests of the ½ scale MC-1 maintained confidence in the full sized glider.

A contract for three MC-1 gliders, (two flyable and one for static testing), was given to the Airborne and General aircraft company, which had been formed by Bowlus and Criz. This company soon transformed into the General Airborne Transport company which built the full sized MC-1 gliders with the military designation XCG-16.

Flight tests of the full sized MC-1, (registered to the Albert Criz company on 19 July 1943 as NX21757), commenced at March Field, California on 11 September 1943, but tragedy struck on a demonstration flight with Richard Chichester du Pont, special assistant to Gen Arnold; Col Ernest Gabel, another glider specialist on the staff of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and C. C. Chandler, thrice soaring champion aboard. Inadequately secured ballast came loose when the glider flew through the Lockheed C-60 glider tug's propwash, causing a catastrophic rearward shift in the centre of gravity. The uncontrollable MC-1A released from tow and entered a flat spin which it didn't recover from. Three of the crew and passengers jumped over board but only two survived the parachute jump.

In spite of all the design problems and the MC-1 crash, a contract was approved on 13 November 1943 for two test flight articles and one static test article of the MC-1 glider designated as the USAAF XCG-16. Only one XCG-16, (44-76193), was manufactured and tested, demonstrating good flying qualities, but major issues with military equipment and procedures precluded the CG-16 from a production contract as it did not meet military expectations as a combat glider. The contract for all remaining work on the CG-16 was cancelled on 30 November 1944.

Source: Wikipedia
Images: dieselfutures via tumbr

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:19 pm

Thanks for posting this Scott!

Richard C Dupont had a business interest in this aircraft, even if only due to it being a business run by a friend. I have been told that the contract for the XCG-16 was cancelled, and that the aircraft was still being pushed and tested by certain parties to try to restart interest in the project. According to a source, the final flight and several previous ones were not authorized or ordered by the AAF, and when the aircraft crashed with the resulting death of Dupont, there was a good deal of consternation over the fact that a cancelled project was still being operated and flown.

FYI, Richard Dupont's son Richard JR, owned and operated Summit Airport in Middletown DE until his death from cancer in the 1980's and was involved in warbirds. Lex Dupont and Jacques Dupont, who were Richard's cousins, owned a few warbirds which were well known, including an FM-2 and TBM. The FM-2 was the one which was in USS Lexington pre-war colors and is now in the Yagen collection.

Warbird Information Exchange

General Airborne Transport XCG-16

Who is online