Waco Aircraft Company

Clayton John Brukner was born December 18, 1896 in Ravenna, Nebraska, the youngest of seven children of John and Rachel Brukner. After a brief move to Burkeville, Virginia, the Brukners settled in Battle Creek, Michigan where Clayton entered school, graduating from Battle Creek Central High School in 1915.

Always interested in electronics and machines, Clayton found work as an electrical maintenance man at the Postum Company in Battle Creek. He later went to work for the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in Buffalo, New York and then to Aeromarine and Standard Aircraft Company.

With assistance from George E. "Buck" Weaver, Brukner and his closest friend, James Elwood Junkin, formed an aircraft company in 1920 and agreed to call it the Weaver Aircraft Company or Waco for short. The company was situated at Weaver's airfield in Lorain, Ohio.

In 1923 Brukner and Junkin moved to Troy, Ohio where they formed the Advance Aircraft Company, keeping the name Waco to describe the company's aircraft. During the twenties and thirties, Brukner's company turned out numerous civil aircraft models achieving dominance in the light aircraft field.

In June 1929, Brukner changed the name of his company from the Advance Aircraft Company to the Waco Aircraft Company. The company continued to specialize in light civil aircraft, both open cockpit and cabin designs.

During World War II, Waco designed and built primary trainers and troop and cargo carrying gliders for the Army Air Forces. During the war, Waco built 1,607 CG-3, CG-4, CG-13, and CG-15 gliders and other companies built, on contract, 13,402 additional gliders.

After the war, Brukner and his company concentrated on building airplane parts and small machinery, declining to compete in the civil aircraft market. In 1963, Brukner sold his company to Allied Aero Industries, Inc. of Syracuse, NY. The Troy plant was closed soon after.

Interested in increasing cooperation among the aircraft companies in the country, Brukner was active in the Manufacturers Aircraft Association, an organization which served to disseminate information throughout the aircraft industry.

Always an avid lover of nature, Brukner bought land for a wildlife refuge seven miles from Troy in 1934. This became known as the Brukner Nature Center which was incorporated on June 27, 1967 by the State of Ohio for educational purposes. An active civic leader in Troy, Brukner served on the board of the Stouder Memorial Hospital from 1945-1950. One wing of the hospital, built largely from Brukner's financial assistance, was named for him in 1972.

Clayton J. Brukner died on December 26, 1977. He was buried at Lyons Lake Cemetery in Marshall, Michigan.

From the guide to the Clayton J. Brukner Collection, 1929-1963, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)

The WACO Aircraft Company was founded in 1920, as the Weaver Aircraft Company, by George 'Buck' Weaver (president and general manager), E.J. 'Sam' Junkin (Secretary), and Clayton Brukner (treasurer). The company was located at 554 Broadway, Lorain, Ohio. The first aircraft built by the company was the 'Cootie,' which wrecked on its maiden voyage with Weaver at the controls. In April 1922, the men decided to leave Lorain and moved to Medina, Ohio, where they built the Model 5. They were not very successful in Medina, so they decided to move to Troy, Ohio, in the winter of 1922-23.

Troy, Ohio, was an excellent choice for the WACO Company because it had access to many aircraft suppliers located in Dayton, Ohio. Troy was also in close proximity to McCook Army Air Field. With the surplus parts left over from WWI Curtiss Jennies, the men of WACO began creating designs and new models of airplanes. Junkin acted as designer and Brukner served as the plant manager. Weaver did not follow the others to Troy, but he remained the active president of the company. To help finance the company, Clayton Brukner got a loan from a Tipp City, Ohio family. In exchange for the loan, Brukner was to train the family's son in aviation mechanics. The training was never completed, but with the loan, Brukner bought out Weaver's share in the company.

In April 1923, the Weaver Aircraft Company's name was changed to the Advance Aircraft Company and Clayton J. Brukner was listed as corporate manager. They began making new airplane models (Model 6 through Model 10) and became very successful. WACO's organization and facilities expanded rapidly in Troy. On November 1, 1926, Elwood Junkin died which left Clayton Brukner as President. New senior managers were appointed, including Lee Brutus as vice-president and secretary, Freddie Lund as chief test pilot, and Russel F. Hardy as chief engineer.

In 1929, the company changed its name to the WACO Aircraft Company and moved into a brand new factory in Troy. This factory was constructed on land purchased by the citizens of Troy who wanted to keep the company from moving away. Soon, Troy, Ohio became known as the civilian aviation capital of the United States.

During the year of 1930, WACO started producing their Model F series, which began replacing the Model 10 aircraft. The following year, the Model QDC was produced. This was WACO's first successful cabin model. Soon, WACO was making many models of airplanes, including the Model C, A, D, and E. All of the WACO aircraft were noted for being very strong and highly maneuverable. WACOs were used for everything from carrying passengers to performing stunts. The last powered aircraft made by the WACO Aircraft Company was in 1946. Clayton Brukner died on December 26, 1977, leaving behind the most successful of all the American pre-war aircraft manufacturing companies. Over the course of its lifetime, the WACO Company produced 3,723 units, not including WWII gliders. Today, there are more than 700 surviving WACOs in existence.

For a list of models and their manufacture date, please see the book WACO aircraft production, 1923-1942 by Raymond H. Brandly (1986) TL686.W3 B72 1986.

From the guide to the WACO Aircraft Company Photographic Collection, 1923-1965, 1923-1946, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)