Northwest Airways Waco 125
Unique Plane
Only aircraft of its kind remaining. Rare version of Waco 10 biplane built with Siemens-Halske SH-12 engine.
Advanced Aircraft only made about 21 of these “Siemens-Waco” planes. Combination of 125-horsepower, 9-cylinder radial engine and popular Waco biplane performed well, but the German engine was costly at $2,970, and various American radial engines in this power range were starting to appear.
Northwest Service
Purchased by Northwest Airways (later Northwest Airlines) in 1928, just two years after company's founding. Briefly operated, in its factory red-and-cream paint, for charters and sales demonstrations—Northwest had a Waco dealership—and flight instruction. Never used for scheduled Northwest mail or passenger service.
Northwest's Wacos
Northwest did fly Wacos in scheduled service, primarily to carry air mail, until 1936. Fleet included a Waco 10W, later modified into aerodynamic "taper wing" CTO model, and several taper wing Waco JYMs.
Waco mail planes initially flew between Chicago and Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin. When winter storms covered runways with snow, Northwest outfitted its Wacos with skis.
Restoration & Donation
Retired Captain Daniel F. Neuman donated Waco 125 to Northwest in memory of his wife Vona Jean Neuman in 1985. Their son Dan Neuman, Jr., also a Northwest pilot, tells how his parents worked together on the restoration:
"My dad purchased the Waco biplane on March 18, 1957. The fuselage frame was being used as a windmill tower and due to rust it needed extensive rebuilding...My parents completed 95% of the restoration in three to four years. My mother worked alongside my dad during the restoration completing all the fabric work and the interior."
Paint Scheme
Initially restored to its original factory paint job of Stearman Vermillion Red and cream. Repainted in 1985 in vintage Northwest Airway black-and-gold livery. Name "C.W. Holman" stenciled on fuselage honors Northwest's first chief pilot Charles "Speed" Holman, a famous acrobatic flier.
Exhibit
Photo caption: NWA CEO Steven G. Rothmeir (center), Daniel F. Neuman, Senior (right) and Junior unveiling Waco 125 at MSP, Dec. 16, 1985
Installed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Lindbergh Terminal in 1985, the plane hung in Concourse G for 25 years. After Northwest merged with Delta in 2008, Waco 125 joined our historic fleet in August 2011.
More Information
Flickr: Detailed photos of Waco 125, also its move in 2011
Waco Historical Society: Photos, fly-ins and more about vintage Wacos