That Old Crate
From Minnesota cratemakers, a new CG-4 glider like the ones they built in World War II.
- By Lynn Keillor
- Air & Space magazine, July 2011
The World War II transports were considered stealthy — in audio signature only.
NASM (SI NEG. #83-310~PM)
(Page 2 of 2)
Johns and Holm collected vintage glider parts from military salvage yards, including frame pieces, instrument panels, and an original long, narrow box for barf-bag storage (troops seated aft of the center of gravity frequently succumbed to airsickness). They’ve found a roll of the original fabric used to cover wings and fuselage. They’ve fabricated the remaining parts based on original blueprints, some with print so tiny that Holm needs a magnifying glass to read it.
Of the volunteers, most of whom learned of the project through the World War II Roundtable network, some are retired military; one flies modern gliders. Dale Johnson is a master woodworker who can create exact replicas of wooden parts. Joe Messacar is a former aeronautical engineer who keeps the construction to perfect spec. Marilyn Curski is especially talented at intricate detail work.
When completed, the glider’s wing will stretch nearly 84 feet. Its interior structure looks like wooden lace. To save weight, most wooden parts of the original gliders were glued together, including the honeycombed floor of the passenger space, so the team is doing the same. Where the originals used screws, however, the team is in some cases substituting cotter pins.
While the group is trying to produce as authentic a re-creation as possible, they’re not making it airworthy—although they have a bit of insight into what it would be like to fly one. Newsman Walter Cronkite, who landed in a CG-4A in the Netherlands in September 1944, later described the experience as “like attending a rock concert while locked in the bass drum.”
When the re-creation is complete, the brand-new glider will likely be on public display somewhere near its Villaume home.
Minneapolis-based writer Lynn Keillor has a new respect for glider pilots, passengers, and Walter Cronkite.
Comments (4)
My father Frank Sinicrope was an inspector at the New Departure war plant in Deep River, CT where they made CG4-A's during WW2. He was also a skilled model maker, and made a model of the WACO with a 43 3/4-inch wingspan. I still have it.
Posted by Robert Sinicrope on May 30,2011 | 06:53 PM
We visited the Villaume glider building project this spring and were very impressed. The dedicated volunteers are gifting future generations with a piece of history for Minnesotans can be proud of. Thank you! My uncle, F/O Sylvan Lucier,
died flying double tow in that amazing cargo carrier, after completing two WWII missions. He loved flying and he loved his country. SylvanLucier.blogspot.com
Posted by eanephew on June 16,2011 | 03:13 PM
It’s unusual to read about a group of people getting together and building something as unglamorous as a WWII glider. And as a former military pilot, I tried to imagine what it felt like as a 20 year Army pilot crammed into a disposable aircraft with about a dozen other edgy young men, on a one way mission to the D-Day landings. They were truly courageous men.
Posted by Bob Bernier on July 22,2011 | 06:49 AM
If someone were to have a few of these gliders today or at least the cabin portion of this CG-4 glider, what would they be worth?
Posted by Bryan Rowley on October 28,2012 | 10:58 AM