Midwest MU 1

Design and development

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.

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.

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.

Operational history

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.

Variants

MU-1

Standard model with 36 ft (11.0 m) wingspan and 172 sq ft (16.0 m²) wing area

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.

Schultz ABC

Developed from the MU-1, the ABC has a longer wingspan and higher glide ratio. It won the 1937 Eaton Design Competition

TG-18

Military designation for impressed MU-1 gliders used for glider pilot training.

Military

United States Army Air Corps

Specifications (MU-1)

Data from Soaring and Glider Type Certificate 16

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 (129 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)