Midwest MU-1
# Midwest MU-1

The Midwest MU-1 was an American single-seat, high-wing, strut-braced utility glider that was designed by Arthur B. Schultz in the 1930s.

## 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 $m^2)$ 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.

## Operators

### 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 $m^2)$
* 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 (130 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 $kg/m^2)$
