Great Lakes Sport Trainer

The Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, produced a design for a small two-seat sports/trainer in early 1929, with the first prototype flying in March 1929. The resulting aircraft, designated 2-T-1, was a single bay biplane of mixed, fabric-covered construction and with a tailskid undercarriage. Because Allied Motor Industries, the holding company that owned Great Lakes, also owned the American Cirrus Company, all Sport Trainers were originally sold with Cirrus engines--in the case of the 2-T-1, a single Cirrus III inline engine. Initial testing showed that the aircraft was tail heavy, and had trouble recovering from a flat spin; to resolve these issues, after the first four aircraft were built, the upper wing was swept back. The planes were initially marketed at a price of $4,990, but as the Great Depression set in, to keep units moving, the price was lowered to $3,985. ==Operational history==

The aircraft proved very successful, with 262 built before construction ended as a result of the closure of Great Lakes due to the Great Depression. It was highly maneuverable even on the relatively modest power of a Cirrus engine. A 1929 Great Lakes Model 2T1a held for many years the world record for consecutive outside loops, a total of 131, set by Jim Moss flying the Hunt Special which by the early 1930s had been highly modified and re-powered with a Warner Scarab 165 7 cylinder radial engine. The Great Lakes continued to be popular well after production ended, and many aircraft adopted more powerful engines, particularly the Jacobs radial engines. but production by Great Lakes Aircraft at Wichita and Enid ended that year, with 137 built. Rights to the Sport Trainer continued to switch hands, resulting in production moving several times. In 1979, rights were acquired by Dean Franklin, who moved production to Eastman, Georgia. Production restarted at Eastman in 1980, but production ended again in 1985. In January 2011, WACO Classic Aircraft announced that it will put the Great Lakes Model 2T-1A-1/2 model biplane back into production. The aircraft had not been available since 1980. The aircraft will incorporate several changes including metal wing spars. It will be offered in two models, a touring model, with a Lycoming IO-360-B1F6 engine and a higher-performance sport model, with a Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 engine. Work on the new production model was completed in June 2013 and the base price announced as US$245,000. Waco had built 20 Sport Trainers by 2022. ==Variants==

;Model 2T-1 :Original production. 85 hp (63 kW) American Cirrus III engine. Small tail. Approximately 40 built. ;Model 2T-1E :95 hp (71 kW) American Cirrus Ensign engine. About twelve built. ;Model 2T-1R :Homebuilt variant with a Ranger 6-440-5. ;Model 2T-2 Speedster :Racing version of 2T-1-A. Powered by Cirrus Hi-Drive and straight top wing. Later rebuilt as Model 2T-1E. ;WACO Classic 2T-1A-1/2 :New production model starting in 2011. There will be two models, a touring model, with a Lycoming IO-360-B1G6 engine and a higher-performance sport model, with a Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 engine ==Specifications (Model 2T-1A-2)==