Flight Training - August 2020 - 17
RAMP APPEAL
BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
QUICK LOOK
Looking to buy?
See how the UPF-7
measures up
How much:
Models listed on
Trade-a-Plane.com
ranged from $186,000
to $337,000.
Fly it: If you consider
a leather helmet and
goggles essential
flying accessories.
Skip it: If "vintage" isn't in your
vocabulary.
Finance: AOPA
Finance estimates a
monthly payment of
$1,800 with 20 percent
down on a $250,000
UPF-7, with a 7.05
percent rate and a
15-year term.
WACO UPF-7
WORKHORSE FROM A DIFFERENT ERA
IF YOU WANT TO START AN ENDLESS
argument between biplane aficionados,
ask whether the Waco UPF-7 or Stearman Kaydet was the superior airplane.
Both were pilot trainers for the "Greatest
Generation" of U.S. pilots during World
War II, and both have become prized
more recently by private owners who
restore them to classic condition. Several
restorers, most notably Rare Aircraft of
Faribault, Minnesota, specialize in transforming Waco UPF-7s into handcrafted
showpieces.
AOPA gave away an immaculately
restored, candy-apple-red Waco UPF-7
in 2003 as the grand prize in its sweepstakes to mark the 100th anniversary of
powered flight.
Waco Aircraft Company of Troy, Ohio,
made a variety of biplanes during the
1930s and the UPF-7 was the culmination
of its open-cockpit versions. The front
cockpit was wide enough for two people
sitting side by side, and the pilot in command flew from the rear cockpit.
More than 600 UPF-7s were produced from the late 1930s until 1942,
and the vast majority of them were
pressed into service for the Civilian
Pilot Training Program, a massive
buildup in airports and pilot training
that started in 1939 before direct U.S.
involvement in World War II.
A steel-frame fuselage, wood wings,
and fabric covering were typical for
airplanes of the era, but the UPF-7 was
distinctive because of its roomy cockpit, four ailerons (instead of two), and
well-balanced controls. Early UPF models
came with a variety of engine options, but
the CPTP airplanes came with seven-cylinder, 220-horsepower Continental W670
(R-670) radial engines.
After the war, many of these
workhorse airplanes were neglected,
discarded, or fell into disuse. They
were regarded as economically obsolete
because more modern trainers were
widely available that were far less costly
to operate.
The original Waco Aircraft Company
was long out of business in 1986 when
Waco Classic began manufacturing a
later model, the YMF-5, in Michigan as
new, handcrafted show airplanes. Most of
them came with 300-horsepower Jacobs
engines, leather interiors, and IFR-capable avionics. The company, now located
in Battle Creek, Michigan, has continued
to update the YMF series. Waco Classic
newly manufactured airplanes helped
create a market for restored UPF-7s,
and both versions have become prized
collector's items.
Restored aircraft have benefited
from updated hydraulic brakes, lighter
SPEC SHEET
Waco UPF-7
Powerplant
Continental
W670-6A,
7-cylinder radial
Seats 2
Empty weight
1,870 lb
Gross weight
2,650 lb
PERFORMANCE
Max speed
Cruise speed
Ceiling
Range
128 mph
114 mph at
75 percent power
14,800 ft
400 sm
and stronger fabric, and aerodynamic
cleanups such as engine cowls. (Military
versions had exposed engines to speed up
and simplify maintenance.)
The UPF-7 has a well-deserved
reputation for excellent handling, but
it's of a different era. Forward visibility
is nonexistent in the landing attitude, so
pilots must use peripheral vision to gauge
whether they're going straight during
takeoff or landing rollout. S-turning while
taxiing is essential to clear the path ahead,
and ground handling is much easier on
grass runways than hard surfaces.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
AOPA.ORG/FT 17
http://www.Trade-a-Plane.com
http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT
Flight Training - August 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - August 2020
Contents
Flight Training - August 2020 - Intro
Flight Training - August 2020 - Cover1
Flight Training - August 2020 - Cover2
Flight Training - August 2020 - Contents
Flight Training - August 2020 - 2
Flight Training - August 2020 - 3
Flight Training - August 2020 - 4
Flight Training - August 2020 - 5
Flight Training - August 2020 - 6
Flight Training - August 2020 - 7
Flight Training - August 2020 - 8
Flight Training - August 2020 - 9
Flight Training - August 2020 - 10
Flight Training - August 2020 - 11
Flight Training - August 2020 - 12
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Flight Training - August 2020 - Cover3
Flight Training - August 2020 - Cover4
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