The story
The Waco 10 first flew in 1927, a bigger-winged development of the Waco 9 with three seats: two passengers side by side up front and the pilot behind. It ran on the 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 V-8, war-surplus OX-5s were easy to find, and it became a barnstorming, joyride and training workhorse. Waco renamed it the GXE in 1928, then fitted almost every engine of the day, from Hispano-Suiza V-8s to Wright radials. At least 1,623 were built through 1933, more than any other Waco. This code covers the whole family: the straight-wing ASO, CSO and GXE, and the Taperwing too.
Waco's letter codes read like a recipe. The first letter named the engine, the middle letter the wing (S for a straight 'Hershey bar' wing, T for the taperwing) and the final O the family, so an ASO and an ATO are the same Wright J-5 airplane with different wings.
Quick answers
How do you identify a Straightwing?
A big three-seat open-cockpit biplane with constant-chord 'Hershey bar' wings and ailerons on both wings joined by a strut. OX-5 and Hisso ships have a slim water-cooled V-8 nose; ASO and CSO models have an exposed radial. If the wings narrow sharply toward the tips, to less than half their root chord, you are looking at a Taperwing, which shares this code.
What does a Straightwing sound like?
An OX-5 gives a lumpy, water-cooled V-8 burble; the radial-engined ones answer with a gruff round-engine growl.
How fast is the Straightwing?
Top speed is 84 kts (97 mph, GXE).
How many passengers does the Straightwing carry?
Up to 2. A typical layout is Two passengers side by side in the front cockpit, pilot in a separate cockpit behind.
How far can the Straightwing fly?
Range is about 335 nmi (GXE).
How big is the Straightwing?
It is 23 ft 6 in (GXE) long and 30 ft 7 in (GXE) across the wings.
When did the Straightwing first fly?
Its first flight was in 1927.
How many Straightwings have been built?
1,623 (all Model 10 / O series, 1927 to 1933) built.
How rare is a Straightwing in Bogey?
COMMON. Everyday traffic. You will catch plenty of these, and every first catch still counts. Your first Straightwing catch is worth 25 points.
