Midwest MU-1

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

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

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. 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. 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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