Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 1986 Waco YMF-5
A quintessential classic biplane offers transport to the Golden Age.
![](https://www.flyingmag.com/uploads/2023/09/6500fa35-5e90-4631-ba05-e756ef23cee3.jpg?auto=webp&auto=webp&optimize=high&quality=70&width=1440)
Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.
Everyone at the airport pauses and looks up from whatever they are doing when a vintage biplane arrives. I recently was treated to a close-up view of a Waco F- series similar to this one when it lined up behind us at the fuel pumps. Many pilots dream of flying a Golden Age classic like this, with open cockpits, a radial engine, and the wind rushing past. This could be a nice opportunity to turn back the clock to an era when general aviation was evolving rapidly, driven by a steady flow of innovation.
Waco built a bunch of F models, all slightly different, but the 1935 YMF-5 is one of my favorites. It is also the version that Waco Classic Aircraft chose to bring back into production in the mid-1980s with numerous improvements. This YMF has 4,262 hours on the airframe and was covered in new Poly-Fiber fabric in 2011. New leather cockpit trim was installed this year. The YMF can accommodate two passengers in the front cockpit with the pilot in the rear.
![](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6500fa61-2a9e-43df-8bbd-554b3919f7b4-1024x768.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&quality=70&width=1440)
![](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6500fa66-17e7-45fb-927a-36a8c4af5cb1-1024x768.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&quality=70&width=1440)
![](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6500fa49-9ce6-435c-aa9b-21ceb3c7f258-1024x768.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&quality=70&width=1440)
The aircraft’s Jacobs R755-B2M engine has 814 hours since overhaul, and there are 144 hours on the wooden Sensenich propeller. Avionics include a Bendix King KX-155 nav/com, a KMA-24 audio panel, a KT76A transponder, and a Sigtronics three-place intercom.
If you are in the market for a 1930s-style flying experience with the benefit of improved manufacturing and avionics, and you enjoy turning heads on the ramp, this could be the right airplane for you. This Waco YMF-5 is available for $143,500 on AircraftForSale.
You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.
- FLYING Magazine: Waco Classic's New-Old World Biplane
- FLYING Magazine: Why Only One WACO RPT Was Made
- Plane & Pilot: Return Of The Great Lakes
- Plane & Pilot: Step Up To The Super
- The Aviation Consumer: Great Lakes Biplane: Docile, Sporty and Fun
![Jonathan Welsh](https://www.flyingmag.com/uploads/2022/01/IMG_20220112_103655835_HDR_2.jpg?auto=webp)
![](https://www.flyingmag.com/uploads/2022/09/Pilot-and-copilot_adobe-stock-rs.jpg?auto=webp&auto=webp&optimize=high&quality=70&width=1440)
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Get the latest FLYING stories delivered directly to your inbox