Cessna L-19/ O-1 Bird Dog - Courtesy Aircraft

designation L-16A (85-hp engine) and L-16B (90-hp engine). It served in the Army throughout the Korean War, where it performed many of the same roles it had in WWII: Target-spotting, observation, general utility, and even rescue. In the late 1950s, quite a few L-16s returned to civilian life, where most of them shed their wartime paint and resumed life as 7BCM or 7CCM Champs, teaching primary students to fly all across the US. Still others went on to serve in the US Civil Air Patrol, a civilian search-and-rescue arm of the US Air Force. As the years have passed, a few have recently been restored to their L-16 livery in commemoration of their unique history. The lineage of these versatile and honest airplanes is such that they do not attract a great deal of attention at warbird gatherings, yet their place in military aviation is undeniable and appreciated by a growing number of enthusiasts and owners. Specifications (L-16B): Engine: One 90-hp Continental C-90-8F or Continental O-205-1 flat-four piston engine Weight: Empty 870 lbs., Max Takeoff 1,300 lbs. Wing Span: 35ft. 1.75in. Length: 21ft. 5.75in. Height: 7ft. 0in. Performance: Maximum Speed: 135 mph Ceiling: 12,000 ft. Range: 400 miles Armament: None Number Built: Unknown, probably 250+ Number Still Airworthy: Unknown Average Price: $30,000- $40,000 By the latter half of the 19th century, armies in combat were beginning to adapt new technologies, like hot air balloons, to supplement cavalry reconnaissance units in trying to ferret out enemy movements and dispositions. The early days of World War I saw the airplane employed in similar capacity until someone hit upon the idea of arming those aircraft with guns and bombs, drastically chang- ing their role to that of flying weapons platform, thereby altering the nature of warfare radically. By the time World War II broke out, liaison/observation aircraft had become a highly specialized group. The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was one such aircraft, derived from the pre-war Stinson Model 105 Voyager. In 1941, the Army Air Corps purchased six Voyagers from Vultee Aircraft (which had acquired Stinson in 1940) for testing, these aircraft being designated as YO-54s. Meanwhile, a modified variant of the Voyager, called the Model 75B, had been demonstrated for the Army. The Model 75B incorporated some features and components of the earlier Voyager series, but was an entirely new design. The Army ordered this model in quantity, designating it first as the O-62 ("O" for Observation), and subsequently as the L-5 when the type designation was changed, in 1942, to indicate "Liaison" aircraft. With short field takeoff and landing capabilities, and the ability to operate from unimproved forward airstrips, the two-crew L-5s were used during World War II for reconnaissance; delivering supplies to, and evacuating litter patients from, isolated units; rescuing Allied personnel from remote areas; laying of communications wire; transporting of personnel; and -- on occasion -- as a light bomber. Nicknamed "the Flying Jeep," the L-5 demonstrated amazing versatility, even landing and taking off from tree-top platforms constructed above a thick Burmese jungle which could not be cleared for more conventional airstrips. When the craft was produced specifically for the air ambulance role, its structure was enlarged and an additional door was added to accommodate stretchers (L-5B through L-5G). In British RAF service the L-5 and L-5B were known, respectively, as Sentinel Mk I and Sentinel Mk II. Air Force Museum sources show that the US Army Air Corps procured 3,590 L-5s between 1942-45. 306 L-5s went to the Marines, where they received the U.S. Navy label OY-1 after Consolidated and Vultee had merged. In addition, eight Stinson 105s and 12 Model 10A Voyagers were "drafted" into Army Air Corps service under the designations AT-19A and AT-19B, respectively. Those designations were later changed to L-9A and L-9B, respectively. Another variant, the OY-2, was the Navy/Marine version of the L-5G, manufactured beginning in late 1945. After WWII, the Sentinel served with distinction in the Korean War and continued in active service with the USAF until at least 1955, with some units still on the rolls until 1962 when the L-5G (the final variant) designation was changed to the Air Force's U-19B, while the Army's remaining L-5's were reclassified as U-19As. Their redefinition to utility, rather than liaison, is a stark reminder that technology is rarely static, as the passing of both the reconnaissance balloon and light liaison aircraft demonstrate. Nicknames: "The Flying Jeep;" "Jungle Angel." Specifications (L-5): Engine: One 185-hp Lycoming O-435-1 flat-six piston engine Weight: Empty 1,550 lbs., Max Takeoff 2,020 lbs. Wing Span: 34ft. 0in. Length: 24ft. 1in. Height: 7ft. 11in. Performance: Maximum Speed: 130 mph Ceiling: 15,800 ft. Range: 360 miles Armament: None Number Built: 3,590 Number Still Airworthy: <200 Average Price: $35,000- $45,000 Photo: Sam Taber Stinson L-5 Sentinel History: Photo: Courtesy Aircraft Taylorcraft L-2/ O-57 Grasshopper" History: Following an aerial observation tradition more than 200 years old, the Taylorcraft Model D tandem trainer was "drafted" in 1941 for artillery spotting, light transport and courier service. After the U.S. Army successfully evaluated examples of the aircraft under the designation YO-57 for use in artillery spotting and liaison, 70 were ordered as the O-57 Grasshopper, powered by a 65hp Continental O-170-3 engine. That order was followed by a modification that added a radio and improved the all-around view with additional glazing to the cockpit area. 336 of that variant, designated O-57A, were ordered. When American troops went into combat in WWII, the Army Air Force used the O-57/-57A for directing artillery fire on enemy troop and materiel concentrations, much as observation balloons had been used in W.W.I. The O-57, being far more mobile than earlier hot air and gas balloons, was also used for other types of liaison and transport duties, its ability to land and takeoff from small unprepared landing strips making it an ideal front-line vehicle. 140 of the O-57As were ordered in 1942, at which time the two variants were re-designated L-2 and L-2A, respectively. Subsequent modifications yielded 490 L-2Bs aircraft produced especially for field artillery spotting and a variant with wing spoilers and a completely cowled engine, the L-2M, of which 900 were ordered. Various civilian models of Taylorcraft, in small quantities, were "drafted" into military service with designations from L-2C through L-2L. 253 engineless gliders based on the L-2 design were also manufactured by Taylorcraft for use as glider trainers. Designated ST-100, they were used primarily by the U. S. Army to train glider pilots for combat insertions, often behind enemy lines (as, for example, in the Normandy landings). While some L-2s were furnished to foreign air forces, many were "mustered out," to rejoin their civilian counterparts on the U.S. civil- ian register after the war as comparatively cheap "warbirds." In the immediate postwar era, the commercial BC-12 D was manufactured for a time, and has become a popular example of late-1940's light aircraft. While the observation tradition today is more likely to be carried on by pilotless aircraft, or the even more exotic "Micro Air Vehicles" being experimented with in numerous high-tech research facilities, the various species of "Grasshoppers" used by the United States in WWII will always occupy a special niche in the lore of aviation. Nicknames: Grasshopper Specifications: Engine: One 65-hp Continental O-170-3 flat-four piston engine Weight: Empty 875 lbs., Max Takeoff 1,300 lbs. Wing Span: 35ft. 5in. Length: 22ft. 9in. Height: 8ft. 0in. Performance: Maximum Speed: 102 mph Ceiling: 16,000 ft. Range: 230 miles Armament: None Number Built: 1,726+ Number Still Airworthy: 150+ Average Price: $30,000 WATCH L-BIRDS IN ACTION! Information Provided by Warbird Alley SHOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A L-BIRD, CONTACT DARCY KAAPKE AT 815-229-5112 OR EMAIL DARCY@COURTESYAIRCRAFT.COM TRUST THE WORLD LEADER IN WARBIRD SALES Courtesy Aircraft 5233 Falcon Road Rockford, IL 61109 2020 L-Birds WWII Weekend by: horsemoney 2017 New Garden Airshow - L-Bird Flight by: Zinger Aviation Media