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FORUMLEDEN met NOSTALGIE......"vreemde" kisten (deel 2)
<CENTER>General Airborne Transport Company's Flying Wing Glider: XCG-16
</CENTER>William Hawley Bowlus, a sailplane and glider manufacturer, designed a flying wing glider, the XCG-16 in February 1942. Its design was a departure from single fuselage designs and incorporated a twin boom design. Early test flights of a full scale model proved disastrous when unsecured weighted bags shifted causing it to become unbalanced and killing the pilot and several passengers. The glider front wing opened like jaws with the bottom swinging down as a ramp resting on the ground. The glider could carry 42 troops or two howitzers. It had retractable landing gear, a wingspan of 91.8 feet, and weighed in at 9,500 pounds empty. Hawley's General Airbourne Transport Company received a contract in November 1943 to build the glider. The first glider was delivered six months late at three times the cost. The glider was tested at Clinton AAF, Ohio and Orlando, Florida. Several shortcomings were discovered including insufficient crash protection and personnel exits along with restricted pilot visibility. The Army Air Force terminated the contract in November 1943.