Skytrains, Wacos and Horsas
Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:10 pm
Hooking up
ditto
Take-off with Horsa in tow
Take-off with Horsa in tow.
Crossing the Normandy coast
Waco in flight
ditto
Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:20 pm
I think it would be really cool for someone to make a flyable CG-4A and then fly it.
Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:39 pm
How do they take a photo of gliders being towed crossing the Normandy coast if they dropped at night? 
??
Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:49 pm
How do they take a photo of gliders being towed crossing the Normandy coast if they dropped at night?
flash or highspeed film
Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:12 am
Neato!
Some ten years or so ago I heard that some museum was planning to restore a CG-4A to flying condition, and use their already airworthy C-47 as a tow-plane. Supposedly, the real hangup was finding the towing gear..although (I've heard) all military Goonies were built with glider-towing capability, the gear was removed post-war because it was just excess weight. I have no idea if any of the story is true..I've heard a lot of wild pie-in-the-sky rumors over the years that had no basis in fact.
SN
Some ten years or so ago I heard that some museum was planning to restore a CG-4A to flying condition, and use their already airworthy C-47 as a tow-plane. Supposedly, the real hangup was finding the towing gear..although (I've heard) all military Goonies were built with glider-towing capability, the gear was removed post-war because it was just excess weight. I have no idea if any of the story is true..I've heard a lot of wild pie-in-the-sky rumors over the years that had no basis in fact.
SN
Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:55 am
PbyCat-Guy wrote:How do they take a photo of gliders being towed crossing the Normandy coast if they dropped at night?
They are most likely from Market Garden or re supply missions that were flown on the later in the day on June 6th.
Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:38 am
Several years ago, the Yanks rebuild was mentioned as "to be flown" but I am not sure if that is true today. John Pappaas in CA (1 1/2 years ago?) was going to fly his CG-4A across the channel June 6, 2009...?.?
These images have Normandy full stirpes rather than Market half-stripes (a few Market CG-4A did not get the upper stripes over-painted before take off).
The image of three 11/16" lines hooked to the D ring/tow plug is cool. Unless it was a staged photo, there is a CG-4A at the other end of each line.
There were evening of June 6, 1944 glider serials and the light at 400 plus feet would be brighter than on the ground.
These images have Normandy full stirpes rather than Market half-stripes (a few Market CG-4A did not get the upper stripes over-painted before take off).
The image of three 11/16" lines hooked to the D ring/tow plug is cool. Unless it was a staged photo, there is a CG-4A at the other end of each line.
There were evening of June 6, 1944 glider serials and the light at 400 plus feet would be brighter than on the ground.
Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:02 am
Great photos Jack!
Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:58 am
Not sure if it's being rebuilt to airworthy status, but there is one about 30 minutes north of me that is being restored. I saw it a few months ago and it's coming along nicely.
http://www.wwmt.com/news/glider-36400-restored-section.html
http://www.wwmt.com/news/glider-36400-restored-section.html
Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:55 pm
Bear,
The Kingsford-Iron Mountain-Wausau glider will not be flyable. Some of the rebuild work that will be out of sight does not meet flying standards. Being done primarily to save bucks and speed construction. All the stuff that is visible is being done per the blueprints. I am not sure what the date of the print set is. There were lots of variations and minor changes during the three years of production. If a rebuild represents early 1943 production, it can not look like a July 1945 production article. They are building a representative Ford article, starting with a genuine Ford frame which had one significant difference from all other CG-4A frames.
The Kingsford-Iron Mountain-Wausau glider will not be flyable. Some of the rebuild work that will be out of sight does not meet flying standards. Being done primarily to save bucks and speed construction. All the stuff that is visible is being done per the blueprints. I am not sure what the date of the print set is. There were lots of variations and minor changes during the three years of production. If a rebuild represents early 1943 production, it can not look like a July 1945 production article. They are building a representative Ford article, starting with a genuine Ford frame which had one significant difference from all other CG-4A frames.
Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:31 pm
Didn't know they did resupply missions via gliders and daks in the daylight hours of D-Day. Great photos.