AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2013 - 54

THE FIRST GREAT LAKES biplane was built in
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929, with an 85-horsepower engine, and the company produced
an ever-more-powerful series of one- and
two-seat aircraft before going bankrupt in
1933 during the Great Depression.
A series of owners tried to revive and
expand the biplane line with varying
degrees of success. During the 1970s and
1980s, Great Lakes biplanes were offered
in kit form, and Great Lakes produced
the FAA-certified Sport Trainer with a
180-horsepower engine and a constantspeed prop.
The Sport Trainer accomplished the
rare feat of having both delightful handling qualities that individual owners and
biplane connoisseurs enjoy as well as the
robust construction and sturdy landing gear
that could withstand punishment from new
aerobatic and tailwheel students. About 150
Sport Trainers had been made when the
company ceased production in 1985, and
the tooling was packed away in a shipping
container and parked in a field in northern
Wisconsin, where it remained untouched
for years. The jigs and fixtures might have
stayed there forever, but two years ago Peter
Bowers, president of Waco Classic Aircraft,
went looking to expand his company’s offerings beyond the top-end, radial-engine
YMF—and the Sport Trainer seemed like it
could be a good complement.
“We’ve developed the skill and expertise to produce tube-and-fabric airplanes
of exceptional quality, and the Great Lakes
looked like a perfect fit,” Bowers said. “The
manufacturing processes are much the
same, and we recognized areas where we
could modernize and improve for the Great
Lakes. The Great Lakes is a smaller, simpler airplane with a lower fuel burn and a
lower price point, and it’s a very appealing
airplane.”
Best of all, the Great Lakes had an existing type certificate, and the craftsmen at
54 | AOPA PILOT November 2013

Waco Classic could build it alongside the
YMF production line at their existing
facility in Battle Creek. Bowers and John
Duncan, owner of the Great Lakes type certificate, made an agreement in mid-2011 to
restart production of the Sport Trainer as
Great Lakes by Waco, and Bowers began
marketing the new aircraft last year.
“We took deposits on 10 aircraft,” he
said, “and that was extremely encouraging because it showed there’s a demand
for the airplane.”
Bowers and his team surveyed owners and visited Chandler Air Service in
Arizona, which operates a flight school that
includes four Sport Trainers.
“We had extensive talks with the
mechanics and pilots about all the things
they liked and didn’t like about the original design,” Bowers said. “We came back
with a long list of things we could do to
improve it.”
The changes include:
•	 Reclining the pilot’s seat four inches to
improve cockpit comfort.
•	 Adding toe brakes (instead of heel brakes)
to the rear cockpit.

THE DIMINUTIVE baggage

compartment (top) is under the
pilot headrest, oleo struts (above)
make for soft landings. The rear
cockpit (right) is much roomier
than previous models, and metal
sides and a heater keep it
comfortable in cool temperatures.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2013

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