(55 CU.FT.) (168 BOXES)

In 1920 Clayton J. Bruckner, Elwood "Sam" Junkin and George "Buck" Weaver formed Weaver Aircraft Co. (1). In April of 1923, they renamed the company Advanced Aircraft Co. and, in May of 1929, Waco Aircraft Co. (2). By the 1930s the company was a leader in the design of wood and fabric aircraft. At their most widespread use, Waco aircraft were operated by public, private, military and corporate owners in thirty-five countries. During World War II, Waco devoted itself entirely to war production, manufacturing large numbers of troop- and cargo-carrying gliders. Following the war Waco attempted to market a wholly new design, but the post-war slump in the private aviation market and the high development costs of the aircraft forced Waco to withdraw from aircraft manufacture in June 1947. During its twenty-seven year existence Waco produced sixty-two different aircraft models and led all its competitors in the number of aircraft registered. (3).

The Waco collection is divided into two parts. Part One comprises 24,855 drawings. The locations and descriptive information of these drawings are listed on an electronic database entitled the Waco Aircraft Engineering Drawings Data Base. The drawings vary greatly in size from small drawings of 4x5" to large sheets of over 150" in length. The majority of the drawings included in Part One are numbered, but many of the drawings are unnumbered. These drawings span most of the Company's existence and depict many of its powered and glider aircraft. There are several smaller sets of drawings which include layout drawings, tool drawings and stress analyses. Production charts and data charts are also among these drawings.

Part Two includes the business records of the Waco Aircraft Company. These documents can be generally divided between the engineering and sales departments. Most of the drawings within Part Two are from sub-contractors and U.S. Government agencies.

Waco aircraft company designations are confusing. Many variations exist regarding the practice of assigning model designations. Despite these exceptions, some basic rules serve as a guideline. Prior to 1930, Waco models were designated by a single number, 1 through 10. The last aircraft designated in this manner, the Waco 10, became the Waco Model O under the new scheme of designation.

Waco early models were additionally referred to by their horsepower. This may have been a practice of distributors and salesmen.

Since 1930, The Waco Aircraft Company used a combination of three letters with which to name its models. An example would be the Model ASO. The letters are best read from right to left. The letter on the right represents the fuselage, i.e. Model O. The middle letter represents a modification to the basic model, i.e. CSO for straight wing or CTO for tapered wing. The letter on the left represents the engine, i.e. CSO for Wright J-6, 225 horse power engine. (4). Additionally, Waco models were often followed by a number indicating the year in which the aircraft was built. A YPF-6, for example, was manufactured in 1936.

Waco World War II gliders, designed for the U.S.A.A.F, were designated by an alpha-numeric combination. The four unpowered gliders produced shared the same letter prefixes of CG, which stood for cargo glider. The numeric suffix distinguishes the aircraft. They were the Models CG-3A, CG-4A, CG-13A and CG-15A. An X preceding the designation denotes experimental, i.e. XCG-4A. An addition of two letters denotes the manufacturer, i.e. CG-4A-TI for Timm Aircraft Co. Many of the Waco designed gliders were constructed by various companies. Powered versions of the gliders were referred to by the prefix PG for powered gliders.

Other collections within the Archives Division of the National Air and Space Museum which are relevant to Waco are as follows:

The Hattie Meyers Junkin Papers(1906-1982), Accession #XXXX-0171. Junkin was married first to George Weaver and later to Elwood Junkin, both founders of the Waco Aircraft Company.

The A. Francis Arcier(1890-1969) Collection, Accession #XXX-0072. Arcier was one of the leading engineers with the Waco Aircraft Company.

The National Air and Space Museum Archival Video Discs. Included in this collection are three blocks of Waco Aircraft photographs; prints listed by model type under the Company name in the Aircraft Finding Aid, prints listed under "Glider Aircraft" in the U.S. Air Force Collection finding aid and prints listed under the Company name in the "General Subjects" of the U.S. Air Force Collection Finding Aid.

The NASM Archives Technical Files. The documents filed under "Waco" include mostly photographs and newspaper articles. Information about some of the individual Waco employees, including Hattie Junkin and George Weaver, can be found filed under the individual's name in the biographical section of the Technical Files.

1. Fred O. Kobernuss, Waco: Symbol of Courage and Excellence, (Terre Haute, Indiana: SunShine House, Inc., 1992), p.4. back

2. Joe Balmer and Ken Davis, There Goes A Waco, (Troy, Ohio: Little Otter Productions, 1992), pp.20-22. back

3. "History and Provenance of Waco Material," Accession File #XXXX-0151, Accession Records, Archives Division, NASM. back

4. The Aircraft Dealer, February 1947, p.27-28 [found in box 105, folder 31 of this collection]. back

The below listed departments, positions and employees were developed from the records of the Waco Aircraft Company. The list is not comprehensive, but it provides a rough overview of the organization. Sketch number 3685 was of particular assistance in pr eparing this list.

The below listed topics were used by Waco for its engineering reports. These reports include both numbered and model engineering reports. Engineering reports are composed of typed sheets, handwritten notebook paper, drawings sheets, blueprints, bluelines and photographs and are often accompanied by letters and memoranda.

This series includes over 1,000 reports from 1931 through 1947 that were assigned a report number by the company. Surviving reports range from report #84 through #2012. Waco apparently began assigning report numbers in 1930 or early 1931. The following reports of this series are ordered numerically by report number.

This series includes 459 reports dated from 1928 through 1947 that were filed under the model aircraft type. There are a couple of idiosyncracies in the Waco use of model names for report titles. The term "various" was used for reports referring to more than one aircraft and the term "All" was used for reports referring to all Waco models. The following reports of this series are ordered alphabetically by model type.

This series contains various drawings, prints and technical documents on Waco subassemblies and parts.

The following documents of this subseries are ordered alphabetically by topic.

The following drawings of this subseries are ordered numerically by drawing number.

The following photographs of this subseries are ordered aphabetically by model type.

The term "Models Various" refers to material parts lists for several different Waco type aircraft. The following material parts lists of this subseries are ordered alpabetically by model name.

This series contains engineer reports for gliders. The following reports for this series are ordered in alpha-numeric sequence by model type.

This series contains engineering reports, along with drawings and brochures, from subcontractors. The following engineer documents of this series are ordered alphabetically by company name.

This series contains letters, memoranda and customer complaints. The following correspondence is ordered alphabetically by name.

This series includes forms used by WACO and forms and documents published by the U.S. Government. The publications of each subseries are ordered alphabetically by document name.

This series includes all records that address customer contact, sales activity and advertisements.

The sales orders of this subseries are ordered numerically by aircraft serial number.