Waco Aircraft Company
WACO (short for Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio) was an aircraft company located in Troy, Ohio. Between 1919 and 1946, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes.
WACO's history started in 1919 when businessmen Clayton Brukner and Elwood Junkin met established barnstorming pilots Charley Meyers and George Weaver. Although their initial floatplane design was a failure, they went on to found the WACO company in 1920 and (after overcoming some financial and technical trouble) soon established themselves as producers of reliable, rugged planes that were popular with travelling businessmen, postal services and explorers, especially after the company switched to producing closed-cabin biplanes after 1924.
During World War 2, Waco produced large numbers of glider towplanes that were used by the RAF and US Air Force for airborne operations, especially during the Normandy Invasion.