The Laister-Kauffmann TG-4 (designated LK-10 Yankee Doodle 2 by its designer) was a sailplane produced in the United States during the Second World War for training cargo glider pilots. It was a conventional sailplane design with a fuselage of steel tube construction and wooden wings and tail, covered all over with fabric. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem under a long canopy.
Jack Laister designed the aircraft in response to the formation of the United States Army Air Corps' American Glider Program in 1941, basing it on his Yankee Doodle design of 1938 for Lawrence Tech. Aside from the addition of a second seat, the Yankee Doodle 2 differed from its predecessor by having wings of constant dihedral instead of gull wings. The USAAC expressed interest, but only if Laister could arrange for the manufacture of the type. When Laister found a sponsor in businessman John Kauffmann, they established the Laister-Kauffmann Corporation in St Louis, Missouri and the USAAC ordered three prototypes as the XTG-4.
When evaluation of the type proved positive, the Army placed an order for 75 aircraft, followed by an order for another 75. These were operated as the TG-4A. All had been withdrawn from service prior to the end of the war when it was discovered that the flight characteristics of the aircraft were so different to those of a cargo glider, that the experience gained on the TG-4 was not particularly relevant. After the war many were sold as surplus and helped build civilian gliding in the USA.
Variantsedit
XTG-4 - prototypes (three built)
TG-4A - production model (150 built)
TG-4B - civilian aircraft impressed into service (one impressed)
Operatorsedit
LK-10 Serial #48 registered as N53619 owned and flown by Doug Fronius of Poway, California, USA as of 2023. Based at Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi, California.
LK-10 Serial #106 under prefix PT-PAZ operated by Aeroclube de Bauru in Brazil as of April 2013[1]
Laister-Kauffman TG-4 PT-PAZ in Bauru, Brazil
This glider crashed on March 10, 2020.
LK-10 Serial # unk operating at Rockton, Ontario (CF-AZJ) as of Apr, 2022
LK-10 Serial #23 formerly registered as N53609 currently under restoration to flying condition in Dayton, Ohio, USA as of 2023. Once restored the aircraft will be based at the Caesar Creek Soaring Club in Waynesville, Ohio.
^"Laister-Kauffmann TG-4A". National Museum of the US Air Force. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^"AIRCRAFT, DRONES AND MISSILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE" (PDF). National Museum of the US Air Force. June 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^"TG-4A "Yankee Doodle"". Museum of Aviation. Museum of Aviation Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^"Laister-Kauffman TG-4A". Air Mobility Command Museum. AMC Museum Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
^"1942 Laister–Kauffman LK–10A (TG–4A)". Port Townsend Aero Museum. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
^Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 232–233.
Referencesedit
Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 160–162.
laister, kauffman, laister, kauffmann, designated, yankee, doodle, designer, sailplane, produced, united, states, during, second, world, training, cargo, glider, pilots, conventional, sailplane, design, with, fuselage, steel, tube, construction, wooden, wings,. The Laister Kauffmann TG 4 designated LK 10 Yankee Doodle 2 by its designer was a sailplane produced in the United States during the Second World War for training cargo glider pilots It was a conventional sailplane design with a fuselage of steel tube construction and wooden wings and tail covered all over with fabric The pilot and instructor sat in tandem under a long canopy TG 4 LK 10 TG 4A in the National Museum of the United States Air Force Role Sailplane National origin United States Manufacturer Laister Kauffmann Designer Jack Laister Number built 153 Developed from Yankee Doodle Variants Bartos Nobel BN 1 Phantom Contents 1 Design and development 2 Variants 3 Operators 4 Aircraft on display 5 Specifications LK 10 TG 4A 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksDesign and development editJack Laister designed the aircraft in response to the formation of the United States Army Air Corps American Glider Program in 1941 basing it on his Yankee Doodle design of 1938 for Lawrence Tech Aside from the addition of a second seat the Yankee Doodle 2 differed from its predecessor by having wings of constant dihedral instead of gull wings The USAAC expressed interest but only if Laister could arrange for the manufacture of the type When Laister found a sponsor in businessman John Kauffmann they established the Laister Kauffmann Corporation in St Louis Missouri and the USAAC ordered three prototypes as the XTG 4 When evaluation of the type proved positive the Army placed an order for 75 aircraft followed by an order for another 75 These were operated as the TG 4A All had been withdrawn from service prior to the end of the war when it was discovered that the flight characteristics of the aircraft were so different to those of a cargo glider that the experience gained on the TG 4 was not particularly relevant After the war many were sold as surplus and helped build civilian gliding in the USA Variants editXTG 4 prototypes three built TG 4A production model 150 built TG 4B civilian aircraft impressed into service one impressed Operators editLK 10 Serial 48 registered as N53619 owned and flown by Doug Fronius of Poway California USA as of 2023 Based at Mountain Valley Airport in Tehachapi California LK 10 Serial 106 under prefix PT PAZ operated by Aeroclube de Bauru in Brazil as of April 2013 1 nbsp Laister Kauffman TG 4 PT PAZ in Bauru BrazilThis glider crashed on March 10 2020 LK 10 Serial unk operating at Rockton Ontario CF AZJ as of Apr 2022 nbsp TG 4 on display at the Museum of Aviation 2 LK 10 Serial 23 formerly registered as N53609 currently under restoration to flying condition in Dayton Ohio USA as of 2023 Once restored the aircraft will be based at the Caesar Creek Soaring Club in Waynesville Ohio Aircraft on display edit42 43688 TG 4A on static display at the Planes of Fame in Chino California 3 4 42 43734 TG 4A on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio 5 6 42 43740 TG 4A on static display at the Museum of Aviation at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins Georgia 7 42 53078 TG 4A on static display at the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base near Dover Delaware 8 42 437357 TG 4A on static display at the National Soaring Museum in Elmira New York 9 nbsp TG 4 at the Silent Wings Museum 42 530727 TG 4A on static display at the Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock Texas 10 28 TG 4A on static display at the US Southwest Soaring Museum in Moriarty New Mexico 11 71 TG 4A on static display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham Alabama 12 42 53072 TG 4A on static display at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach Virginia 13 LK 10A on static display at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Maryland Heights Missouri 14 LK 10A on static display at the Port Townsend Aero Museum in Port Townsend Washington 15 USAAF 84 42 53027 at Gliding Heritage CentreSpecifications LK 10 TG 4A editData from The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II 16 General characteristicsCrew 2 Length 21 ft 4 in 6 5 m Wingspan 50 ft 0 in 15 24 m Height 3 ft 7 9 in 1 115 m at cockpit Wing area 164 sq ft 15 2 m2 Aspect ratio 15 1 Airfoil root NACA 4418 tip NACA 4409 Empty weight 476 lb 216 kg equipped Gross weight 875 lb 397 kg Performance Stall speed 38 mph 61 km h 33 kn Never exceed speed 126 mph 203 km h 110 kn Rough air speed max 203 km h 126 1 mph 109 6 kn Aerotow speed 203 km h 126 1 mph 109 6 kn Winch launch speed 130 km h 80 8 mph 70 2 kn g limits 6 3 at 225 km h 139 8 mph 121 5 kn Maximum glide ratio 22 at 80 km h 49 7 mph 43 2 kn Rate of sink 191 ft min 0 97 m s at 73 km h 45 4 mph 39 4 kn Wing loading 5 4 lb sq ft 26 5 kg m2 See also editAircraft of comparable role configuration and era DFS Kranich Related lists List of glidersNotes edit Planadores Aeroclube de Bauru in Portuguese 2013 Archived from the original on 16 February 2013 Retrieved 29 Apr 2013 Canada s oldest actively flying glider is steeped in history skiesmag com 1 October 2019 Retrieved 15 October 2022 Flying amp Static Aircraft Planes of Fame Air Museum Archived from the original on 6 August 2017 Retrieved 30 May 2017 Airframe Dossier Laister KauffmanTG 4 s n 42 43688 USAAF c n 9 c r N53612 Aerial Visuals AerialVisuals ca Retrieved 30 May 2017 Laister Kauffmann TG 4A National Museum of the US Air Force 16 April 2015 Retrieved 30 May 2017 AIRCRAFT DRONES AND MISSILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U S AIR FORCE PDF National Museum of the US Air Force June 2016 Retrieved 30 May 2017 TG 4A Yankee Doodle Museum of Aviation Museum of Aviation Foundation Inc Retrieved 30 May 2017 Laister Kauffman TG 4A Air Mobility Command Museum AMC Museum Foundation Inc Retrieved 30 May 2017 Airframe Dossier Laister Kauffman TG 4A s n 42 437357 USAAF c n 60 c r N54191 Aerial Visuals Retrieved 26 July 2019 City of Lubbock Departments Silent Wings Museum Sailplanes Hang Gliders amp Motor Gliders U S Southwest Soaring Museum Retrieved 30 May 2017 Airframe Dossier Laister KauffmanTG 4 c n 71 c r N56588 Aerial Visuals AerialVisuals ca Retrieved 30 May 2017 Aircraft N51462 1943 Laister Kauffman LK 10A C N 126 Photo by Dean Heald Photo ID AC292671 www airport data com Retrieved 2017 10 31 Museum Hangar 2 Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Retrieved 26 July 2019 1942 Laister Kauffman LK 10A TG 4A Port Townsend Aero Museum 17 September 2019 Retrieved 18 November 2019 Shenstone B S K G Wilkinson 1963 The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II in English French and German 1st ed Zurich Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile OSTIV and Schweizer Aero Revue pp 232 233 References editShenstone B S K G Wilkinson 1963 The World s Sailplanes Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II in English French and German 1st ed Zurich Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile OSTIV and Schweizer Aero Revue pp 160 162 US Southwest Soaring Museum 2010 Sailplanes Hang Gliders amp Motor Gliders Retrieved 26 May 2011 Further reading editTaylor Michael J H 1989 Jane s Encyclopedia of Aviation London Studio Editions p 563 Salmi Reino J March 1943 Gliders for Victory The Wisconsin Engineer 47 6 8 9 Retrieved 2008 09 16 uncorrected OCR External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laister Kauffman TG 4 Laister Kauffmann TG 4A National Museum of the United States Air Force Sailplane Directory entry on the LK 10 LTU timeline Air Mobility Command museum Aircraft laister kauffman tg 4a htm Museum of Aviation permanent dead link The Air Mobility Command Museum Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Laister Kauffman TG 4 amp oldid 1190723786, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
