Troy Airfield Directional Marker

Troy Airfield Directional Marker. . The Troy Directional Airfield Marker was used to guide aviators to the WACO factory on Peters Road. The WACO Aircraft Company moved from rented factory buildings in Troy to a dedicated facility on Peters Road in 1929. There they designed and built the very successful Model 10, followed by a series of open cockpit and closed cabin aircraft in the 1930's. Aircraft production ceased following World War II but the company stayed in business until 1962., This is the site of the Troy Airfield Directional Marker. The marker was located at the bend in the Miami River, on the north side, and east of the Adams Street bridge. Hobart Arena is on the other side of Adams Street. The marker indicates the WACO private airfield is one mile away, on Peters Road, in the direction of the arrow., Air racer Gladys O'Donnell with her WACO Model 10 Taperwing parked in front of the WACO factory headquarters., The WACO Aircraft Company produced over 50 models of airplanes and was the largest. producer of civilian aircraft in the United States from 1929 to 1935. The company designed four models of military gliders during World War II. Approximately 14,000 WACO gliders were produced by WACO and a team of 16 manufacturers. The gliders were constructed of welded steel frames, light weight birch and sitka spruce with a canvas covering. Most of the gliders used in military operations were the CG-4A. They were capable of carrying 13 combat troops or a military jeep, a small howitzer, a tracked bulldozer, and even pack mules. It was also critical in delivering cargo and transporting wounded from the battlefield. WACO gliders were usually towed behind a cargo plane, such as a C-47 and released near their target location. A C-47 could town one or two gliders at a time. The CG-4A was used in the invasion of Sicily, the D-Day Normandy invasion, Operation Market-Garden in the Netherlands and in the China-Burma-India theater of operation.,