WACO pronounced "wah-co" comes from a field near Troy, Ohio - Waco field, which in turn received its name from a local war-cry. Between 1919 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes. The company established themselves as producers of reliable, rugged planes that were popular with traveling businessmen, postal services and explorers. The original venture started when the four founders came together in 1919. In 1920 they founded the Weaver Aircraft Company, named after one of the founders, George Weaver. In the spring of 1923, after the departure of Weaver, this became the Advanced Aircraft Company in Troy, Ohio. By 1927, more than 40 percent of small aircraft sold in the country were WACOs. At some point around 1928 or 29 the name was changed to WACO Aircraft Company, to correspond with its now famous line of aircraft. The YMF-5, the basis for the YMF-5 Super that we are flying, was built in the 1930's. WACO ceased producing aircraft in 1946, another victim of the post-war general aviation bust. Many WACO's remain flying today, their style and mystique evoking images of aviation's "Golden Age" or, in the words of one WACO fan, "After the last WACO gracefully flies, the sky will become merely air." The WACO Classic Aircraft company (unrelated to the original Waco) began building its WACO Classic YMF in 1986, an upgraded version based on Waco's original type certificate incorporating over 300 engineering changes.

The fabric-covered fuselage is constructed from welded steel tubing, shaped with wooden formers and stringers while the wings are fabricated with spruce spars, spruce and wooden ribs, and aluminum edges. Ailerons on both wings were covered in aluminum and connected with push-pull struts that operated in pairs. It has stable handling characteristics that are considered to be forgiving, with good performance. All features that makes the Waco Classic such a popular aircraft.


Let us bring you back to the days where life was simpler and slower paced. Enjoy the exhilaration of flying in a Waco Classic biplane, with the sun on your face, the warm breezes in your hair, the rumble of the radial engine, all as you glide on a cushion of air over beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.