MU-1
Role Glider
National origin United States
Designer Arthur B. Schultz
Status No longer in production
Primary user United States Army Air Corps
Number built at least 6
Variants Schultz ABC

The Midwest MU-1 was an American single-seat, high-wing, strut-braced utility glider that was designed by Arthur B. Schultz in the 1930s.[1]

Design and development

The MU-1 was designed by Schultz prior to the Second World War and was used by the United States Army Air Corps for glider training and designated as the Midwest TG-18.[1][2]

The MU-1 was constructed with a welded steel tube fuselage and a wooden-framed wings, all covered in doped aircraft fabric covering. The wing was of 36 ft (11.0 m) span, employed a NACA 4412 airfoil and was supported by two parallel struts with jury struts. Landing gear was a fixed monowheel.[1][3]

The aircraft was type certified on 13 October 1944 and about six were completed by Midwest Sailplane and possibly also by the Motorless Flight Institute of Chicago, Illinois.[1][3]

Operational history

In 1983 Soaring Magazine reported that two MU-1s were still in existence, but in October 2015 only one was on the Federal Aviation Administration registry.[1][4]

Variants

MU-1
Standard model with 36 ft (11.0 m) wingspan and 172 sq ft (16.0 m2) wing area[1]
MU-1 long-wing
Version with a longer span, double-tapered wing of similar wing area. This model may have been a proposal only as completed examples have not been confirmed.[1]
Schultz ABC
Developed from the MU-1, the ABC has a longer wingspan and higher glide ratio. It won the 1937 Eaton Design Competition[1]
TG-18
Military designation for impressed MU-1 gliders used for glider pilot training.

Operators

Military

Specifications (MU-1)

Data from Soaring and Glider Type Certificate 16[1][3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
  • Wing area: 172 sq ft (16.0 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 7.5:1
  • Airfoil: NACA 4412
  • Empty weight: 323 lb (147 kg)
  • Gross weight: 513 lb (233 kg)

Performance

  • Never exceed speed: 80 mph (130 km/h, 70 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 15:1 at 36 mph (58 km/h)
  • Rate of sink: 174 ft/min (0.88 m/s) at 30 mph (48 km/h)
  • Wing loading: 3 lb/sq ft (15 kg/m2)

See also

Related lists

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 61, Soaring Society of America November 1983. USPS 499-920
  2. ↑ Aerofiles (June 2011). "Designations". Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Federal Aviation Administration (October 1944). "Type Certificate data Sheet, Midwest Sailplane" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (20 October 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved 20 October 2015.
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