Live The Dream! Own and Fly A REAL Waco YMF-5D or A NEW Great Lakes!
WACO Classic Aircraft of Battle Creek, MI, is the world's only manufacturer of a brand new 1930's era open cockpit sport biplane, the WACO YMF.
Since 1983, WACO Classic has been building new production aircraft under the original FAA type certificate. There are currently over 150 WACO YMF's flying around the world.
An updated classic, the YMF-5D features modern safety equipment, materials, and avionics. Customers have their choice in custom paint scheme, interior and instrument packages to suit their taste.
Each biplane is built by hand, by experienced and skilled craftsmen, with over 5000 labor hours going into each plane. The result is a luxury aircraft and a serious performance machine, capable of full aerobatics with impressive flying qualities.
The new WACO YMF-5D exemplifies attention to detail and brings the Golden Age of Aviation to life.
WACO Classic Aircraft of Battle Creek, Michigan, carries on the proud WACO tradition, with a one-of-a-kind open cockpit sport biplane that is as exhilarating to fly as it is beautiful to behold. Custom made for each owner, the WACO YMF-5D, with its classic graceful design, is the most elegant, exclusive and thrilling biplane imaginable.
In 2011, WACO acquired the type certificate for another wonderful biplane, the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2. This aircraft is a fully aerobatic, 180 h.p. biplane with great handling attributes. While the WACO YMF-5D and the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 share similar construction and materials, the 2T-1A-2 is smaller and features more simple avionics and systems. With similar design and construction techniques, the Great Lakes is smaller with more simple avionics and systems. The company boasts that it is the only company in the world that produces NEW FAA and EASA certified open cockpit classic biplanes. The Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 has a list price of $255,250 and comes equipped with a 180 HP Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 and aerobatic Hartzell CS Prop. The open cockpit Great Lakes seats two, in tandem, an cruises 120 mph, climbs 1400 fpm and has a range of 260 nm.
WACO Aircraft has spent countless hours on re-engineering and modernizing both the WACO YMF-5D and the Great Lakes, while honoring the tradition and graceful good looks of both aircraft. Each biplane is built by hand, by experienced and skilled craftsmen. The results are loved by aviators world-wide; unique one-of-a-kind aircraft that are the finest and most exhilarating biplanes available.
An enticing combination of performance and style await you. The thrill of open cockpit flying tempts you. The pride of owning one of the most exclusive and personalized aircraft is yours, courtesy of WACO Aircraft. The WACO YMF-5D and the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 let you fly simply for the fun of it.
Did You Know? REALLY Cool Facts About Waco Classic Aircraft
- WACO Classic is the only place in the world where you can purchase a new production FAA and EASA certified 1930's era biplane.
- The WACO YMF is built to the original 1930's FAA type certificate, and some of the drawings used were obtained from the Smithsonian.
- There are WACO YMF's all over the world, including Japan, Australia, Kenya, France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Canada, and the U.S.
- Once at an aviation event, a WACO pilot was stopped by the police when taxiing down the street from the airport to the conference center for “erratic driving”. (Ask a tailwheel pilot if you don't understand why!)
- A YMF-5 once placed 4th in an unlimited aerobatic competition at Reno, NV.
- WACO Classic Aircraft is the worlds smallest GA aircraft manufacturer.
- The letters WACO were originally an acronym for Weaver Aircraft Company.
- It's pronounced WACO like taco.
- An owner/pilot of a 2006 WACO YMF set a record under Federation Aeronautique Internationale rules for Speed Over a Recognized Course (102.44 km/h), flying his WACO from Boston, MA, to San Diego, CA, in September, 2006.
- The very first WACO ever built was called a Cootie.
- Clayton Bruckner, one of the founders of the original WACO company and a graduate of Battle Creek Central High School, built his first airplane and flew it in 1919 from the field in Battle Creek, MI (KBTL), which is the current location of WACO Classic Aircraft.
- WACO now also offers a second aircraft, the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, a fully aerobatic, 180 h.p. biplane with extraordinary handling attributes. With similar design and construction techniques, the Great Lakes is smaller with more simple avionics and systems and offers a thrilling open cockpit flying experience.
- Waco Classic Aircraft flew the first new Great Lakes Sunday, June 9th, 2013 under the pilotage of Gabriel Valim and the watchful eye of Waco Boss, Peter Bowers.
Waco Classic Aircraft News
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.13.24)
See All