Authentic and extremely rare Waco CG-4 Assault Glider 'flown' trim wheel paired with Ron Cole's original composition of this aircraft in action on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, in an 11x17-inch wall-hanging framed display - each signed & numbered.
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Imagine landing a powerless aircraft made mostly of wood and fabric behind enemy lines at night on a patch of field while under hostile fire. Such was the experience of many brave men on the night of June 5th and 6th in Normandy, France. Pilots were not deterred by witnessing other machines crack up in front of their eyes as they careened forward on ground previously known only from thousands of feet above. It was a one-way mission - in American style. And they won.
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These trim wheels were an important part of this aircraft's unique control system, located prominently above the pilot and co-pilot. Each of these controls included in each of these displays were actually flown and not 'new old stock' that survived the war in a warehouse.
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These rare pieces came to Cole's Aircraft from the Warbirds of Glory Museum of Brighton, Michigan in 2022.
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Each of these displays measures 13x19-inches (outside frame dimensions), and the artwork itself is 11x17-inches.
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Signed & numbered - very limited to 75 displays.