Aeronca L-16
| Aeronca L-16 | |
|---|---|
 Aeronca L-16 in action |
|
| Type: | Liaison aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| Production time: |
1946 to 1950 |
| Number of pieces: |
609 |
The Aeronca L-16 was a light liaison and observation aircraft made by the US manufacturer Aeronautical Corporation of America (Aeronca), which was mainly used by the US Army in the Korean War. It is a militarized version of the civilian Aeronca Champion . From 1955 many aircraft were handed over to the Civil Air Patrol , responsible for aerospace training for young people, as well as liaison services and homeland security.
history
Like its predecessor, the Aeronca L-3, the L-16 was a light liaison and observation aircraft used by the US armed forces. These aircraft models, which were militarized as a result of the Second World War, were derived from the civilian Aeronca Model 65, a tandem training aircraft. Since this aircraft can land on poor and short runways, it is nicknamed the Grasshopper . During the war, the aircraft was used for observation, for smaller transports and courier flights.
When civil aircraft production was resumed in the US after the World War, the machine was revised and offered as the civilian 65 HP model 7AC Champ. Due to its good-natured flight behavior, the machine quickly became one of the most popular training aircraft of the post-war period. The better motorized 7BC was produced again in the second half of the 1940s for the US Army under the designation L-16A (85 hp engine) and L-16B (90 hp engine). The aircraft were used in the Korean War, where they were used for target identification and observation as well as for general and rescue missions.
In the late 1950s, many L-16s were retired and used civilly. They were used, scattered all over the USA, for flight instruction or for civil air surveillance. Over the decades, many machines have been retired due to their age, but some have also been extensively restored. The robustness of the Grasshopper is still valued today.
operator
variants
- L-16A (7BCM Champion)
- 509 built, 376 were built for the Air National Guard , used in Korea 1950, with an 85 hp (63 kW) Continental O- 190-1 (C-85) engine .
- L-16B (7CCM Champion)
- Militarized version of the 7AC, which was used as a training machine by the United States Army and equipped with a 90 hp (67 kW) Continental O- 205-1 engine. 100 built
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data for L-16B |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| passenger | 1 |
| length | 6.55 m |
| span | 10.67 m |
| Wing area | 51.82 m² |
| height | 2.13 m |
| Empty mass | 404 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 658 kg |
| drive | 1 × Continental O-205 -1 boxer engine 58.84 kW (80 PS) |
| Top speed | 177 km / h |
| Range | 304 km |
| Service ceiling | 4,270 m |
| Armament | - |
Preserved machines
Today there are still a number of privately-owned, airworthy L-16 planes. T. have been extensively restored.
literature
- John Andrade: US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 . Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9 .
- Eden, Paul and Moeng, Soph, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft . London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1 .
- Stephen Harding: US Army Aircraft Since 1947 . Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, PA, USA 1997, ISBN 978-0-7643-0190-2 .
- Swanborough, FG and Bowers, Peter M. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909 . Putnam New York, 1964. ISBN 0-85177-816-X .
Web links
- L-16-side of Warbird Alley (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Warbird Alley: Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper , accessed May 4, 2019.
- ↑ Swanborough and Bowers, 1964 p. 33.
- ↑ a b Eden and Moeng, 2002. p. 44.
- ↑ Harding, p. 13
- ^ Andrade 1979, p. 130
- ↑ MRJJJ747: Aeronca L16A - Making Trouble N94578 AERONCA 1947 L16A 7BMC. Restoration of an L-16 7BCM. YouTube , May 29, 2009, accessed September 10, 2018 .