Frankfort TG-1A (Cinema)

Stan Corcoran's TG-1A (Training Glider Model 1A) was the first aircraft selected to train U.S. Army glider pilot cadets to fly the Waco CG-4A combat assualt glider. The Waco could be difficult to handle with heavy loads, and a skilled pilot was required to fly it. Until late in the war, Wacos were only produced in limited numbers, and none were available for training. Before bidding on producing the TG-1A, Stan Corcoran had produced gliders for the civilian market at his Frankfort Sailplane Company factory. In May 1942, the firm won a contract to build 40 TG-1As. Production began immediately, and the order was completed by November 1942. Each glider cost $2,775 to build but Corcoran's factory lacked the resources to quickly produce large numbers of gliders. The Schweizer Aircraft Corporation easily built many more TG-2 gliders, a design similar to the TG-1A. By war's end, nearly 1,100 dedicated military training gliders were completed.