Midwest MU-1

MU-1

Role  | Glider

Type of aircraft

National origin | United States
Designer  | Arthur B. Schultz
Status  | No longer in production
Primary user  | United States Army Air Corps
Number built | at least 6
Variants  | Schultz ABC

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

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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

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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

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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

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### Military

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* United States Army Air Corps[1]

## Specifications (MU-1)

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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

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Related lists

* List of gliders

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. ^ a b c 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.

## External links

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* NACA 4412 airfoil

* v
* t
* e

Arthur B. Schultz aircraft

Civil aircraft designations|

* ABC
* MU-1
* Nucleon

USAAC aircraft designations|

* TG-16
* TG-18

* v
* t
* e

USAAC/USAAF/USAF glider aircraft designations 1924–1962, Tri-Service designations 1962–present

USAAC/USAAF sequences
(1924–1947)|

| Assault glider|

* AG-1
* AG-2

|

Bomb glider|

* BG-1
* BG-2
* BG-3

Cargo glider|

* CG-1
* CG-2
* CG-3
* CG-4
* CG-5
* CG-6
* CG-7
* CG-8
* CG-9
* CG-10
* CG-11
* CG-12
* CG-13
* CG-14
* CG-15
* CG-16
* CG-17
* CG-18
* CG-19
* CG-20

Fuel glider|

* FG-1

Powered glider|

* PG-1
* PG-2
* PG-3

Training glider|

* TG-1
* TG-2
* TG-3
* TG-4
* TG-5
* TG-6
* TG-7
* TG-8
* TG-9
* TG-10
* TG-11
* TG-12
* TG-13
* TG-14
* TG-15
* TG-16
* TG-17
* TG-18
* TG-19
* TG-20
* TG-21
* TG-22
* TG-23
* TG-24
* TG-25
* TG-26
* TG-27
* TG-28
* TG-29
* TG-30
* TG-31
* TG-32
* TG-33

1948 USAF redesignations|

* G-2
* G-3
* G-4
* G-10
* G-13
* G-14
* G-15
* G-18
* G-20

Tri-Service sequence
(1962–present)|

* G-1
* G-2
* G-3
* G-4
* G-5
* G-6
* G-7
* G-8
* G-9
* G-10
* G-11
* G-12
* G-131
* G-14
* G-15A/B
* G-16

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