Chase C-122

XG-18 and YC-122 Avitruc
Type	Military transport aircraft
Manufacturer	Chase
Maiden flight	18 December 1947
Number built	18

The Chase XCG-18 and YC-122 Avitruc (known internally by Chase as the MS-7) was a military transport aircraft produced in limited numbers in the United States in the late 1940s, initially as a glider, but definitively in powered form. The design was based on the CG-14 cargo glider but was substantially larger and featured all-metal construction. it was a high-wing cantilever monoplane of pod-and-boom configuration. The fuselage was of rectangular cross-section and featured a loading ramp at its rear. The main undercarriage units were carried at the sides of the fuselage and were fixed, while the nosewheel was retractable. In its powered form, two radial engines were fitted in nacelles in the wings.

Development

The USAAF's experiences with cargo gliders during World War II indicated a role for a similar aircraft in the post-war inventory, but one capable of carrying a substantially heavier load and with greater recoverability than the essentially expendable wartime wooden assault gliders. Chase's CG-14 was selected as a starting point, and in January 1947, the USAAF placed an order for an enlarged, metal version of this aircraft, initially designated XCG-14B but redesignated to XCG-18A to reflect the basically all-new nature of the aircraft. When the prototype flew that December, it was the world's first all-metal transport glider .

In March 1948, the service (now the USAF) ordered four more aircraft under the new designation XG-18A and a fifth to be fitted with engines as the YC-122. The air force eventually lost interest in purchasing assault gliders, but continued with the development of the powered variant, purchasing two more examples for evaluation as the YC-122A and redesignating the second of these as the YC-122B when the original Pratt & Whitney engines were swapped for Wright units. This aircraft would form the basis for the definitive service trials version, the YC-122C. Nine of these aircraft were ordered and although they performed well in evaluation, the USAF no longer saw a need for a small transport aircraft and cancelled the project. The remaining machines served on in utility roles until 1957.

Variants

• XCG-14B/XCG-18A - initial prototype glider (2 built)
• XG-18A - revised glider version (4 built)
• YC-122 - prototype powered version, an XG-18A with Pratt & Whitney R-2000-11 engines (1 built)
  • YC-122A - refined version of YC-122 (2 built)
  • YC-122B - YC-122A re-engined with Wright R-1820-101 engines (1 converted)
  • YC-122C - definitive service trials version (9 built)

Units using this aircraft

• United States Air Force
  • 16th Troop Carrier Group
  • 316th Troop Carrier Group

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 254. 
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 891 Sheet 26-27. 

See also

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chase C-122".