Frankfort Cinema Explained
The
Frankfort Cinema was a
sailplane manufactured in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s and which was used by the
United States Army Air Corps as a training glider under the designation
TG-1. It was a high-wing, strut-braced design with a fully enclosed cabin. Originally designed as a single-seater, a two-seat version designated the
Cinema II was produced soon afterwards, and this design was put forward when the Army issued a requirement for training gliders. At the same time, the company was awarded production contracts for transport gliders, the
CG-1 and
CG-2.
However, Frankfort lacked the resources to quickly produce large numbers of gliders, and only 43 TG-1s were delivered. The TG-1 designation was also applied to 10 civilian Cinemas that were impressed into Army service.
Variants
- Cinema: baseline design
Cinema II: two-seat version
TG-1: USAAF designation for Cinema II
TG-23: USAAF designation for one impressed Cinema I (serial n/o 42-57192)[1]
Aircraft on display
References
- Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 405 .
- NASM website
Notes and References
- https://usmilitaryaircraft.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/airf-tg.pdf
- Web site: Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders. 26 May 2011. US Southwest Soaring Museum. US Southwest Soaring Museum. 2010. 20 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221120055021/http://swsoaringmuseum.org/collection.htm. dead.
- Web site: Frankfort TG-1A "Cinema B" . 29 March 2021. Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum. Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum. waaamuseum.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20190712084859/https://www.waaamuseum.org/collections/airplanes/663-frankfort-tg-1a-cinema-b. 12 July 2019. live.