Midwest MU-1 explained

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.[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 361NaN1 span, employed a NACA 4412 airfoil and was supported by two parallel struts with jury struts. Landing gear was a fixed monowheel.[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.

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.[4]

Variants

MU-1
  • Standard model with 361NaN1 wingspan and 172square feet wing area
    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.
    Schultz ABC
  • Developed from the MU-1, the ABC has a longer wingspan and higher glide ratio. It won the 1937 Eaton Design Competition
    TG-18:Military designation for impressed MU-1 gliders used for glider pilot training.

    Operators

    Military

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 61, Soaring Society of America November 1983. USPS 499-920
    2. Web site: Designations. 23 June 2011. Aerofiles. June 2011.
    3. Web site: Type Certificate data Sheet, Midwest Sailplane. 23 June 2011. Federal Aviation Administration. October 1944. https://web.archive.org/web/20190721160023/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/8f99dfab7440681a85256744005a6277/$FILE/ATTPPV7W/GTC16.pdf. 21 July 2019. dead.
    4. Web site: Make / Model Inquiry Results. 20 October 2015. Federal Aviation Administration. 20 October 2015.