The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used American troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4A by the United States Army Air Forces, and given the service name Hadrian (after the Roman emperor) by the British. The glider was designed by the Waco Aircraft Company. Flight testing began in May 1942. More than 13,900 CG-4As were eventually delivered. Design and development The CG-4A was constructed of fabric-covered wood and metal and was crewed by a pilot and copilot. It had two fixed mainwheels and a tailwheel. The CG-4A could carry 13 troops and their equipment. Cargo loads could be a -ton truck (i.e. a Jeep), a 75 mm howitzer, or a -ton trailer, loaded through the upward-hinged nose section. Douglas C-47 Skytrains were usually used as tow aircraft. A few Curtiss C-46 Commando tugs were used during and after the Operation Plunder crossing of the Rhine in March 1945. The USAAF CG-4A tow line was nylon, 350 feet (107 m) long. The CG-4A pickup line was inch (24 mm) diameter nylon, but only 225 ft (69 m) long including the doubled loop. In an effort to identify areas where strategic materials could be reduced, a single XCG-4B was built at the Timm Aircraft Corporation using wood for the main structure. Production From 1942 to 1945, the Ford Motor Company's plant in Kingsford, Michigan, built 4,190 Model CG-4A gliders for use in combat operations during World War II. The Kingsford plant built more CG-4A gliders than any other company in the nation at much less cost than other manufacturers. The other primary builders of the Model CG-4A gliders were located in Troy, Ohio; Greenville, Michigan; Astoria, New York; Kansas City, Missouri and St. Paul, Minnesota. The 16 companies that were prime contractors for manufacturing the CG-4A were: Babcock Aircraft Company of DeLand, Florida (60 at $51,000 each) Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas (750) The entire order was subcontracted to Boeing Aircraft Company's new Wichita plant. Commonwealth Aircraft of Kansas City (1,470) Ford Motor Company of Kingsford, Michigan (4,190 units at $14,891 each) G&A Aircraft of Willow Grove, PA (627) General Aircraft Corporation of Astoria, L.I.,NY (1,112) Gibson Refrigerator of Greenville, Michigan (1,078) Laister-Kauffman Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri (310) National Aircraft Corp. of Elwood, IN (one, at an astronomical $1,741,809) Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation of Minneapolis (1,510) Pratt-Read of Deep River, Connecticut (956) Ridgefield Manufacturing Company