Aeronca L-3

Aeronca L-3
Aeronca L-3B Grasshopper
Type:	Liaison aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Aeronca aircraft
First flight:	1941
Commissioning:	1942
Production time:	1941 to 1944
Number of pieces:	1,430

The Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper (German grasshopper) was a light liaison and observation aircraft of the US armed forces.

It was derived from the civil Aeronca Model 65 , a tandem training aircraft. The first machines were given the US Army Air Corps designation O-58 . The first tests were carried out during maneuvers in Louisiana and Texas in the summer of 1941 . The model competed against competing models from Piper and Taylorcraft Aviation .

When American ground forces became involved in combat operations during World War II , the O-58 was used as a reconnaissance and artillery briefing aircraft. In 1942 the identification system of the US armed forces was changed and the O-58 was renamed L-3 (L for Liaison (connection)). Due to the short take-off and landing phase, it also took on smaller transports and courier flights.

The L-3 was built in various variants and in large numbers. In total, more than 1,400 machines had reached the USAAF by the end of the war . It was used after the war, and the civilian version Aeronca 7 Champion was also created . Aeronca built more than 17,000 machines of all types by 1951.

The TG-5 version was a motorless glider trainer. This model had three seats for a flight instructor and two student pilots. 250 copies of this type were delivered to the army, three copies went under the designation LNR-1 to the US Navy.

production

Acceptance of the Aeronca L-3 by the USAAF:

version	1941	1942	1943	1944	TOTAL
YO-58	4th				4th
L-3A	20th				20th
L-3B		813	522	80	1,415
TG-5		253			253
total	24	1,066	522	80	1,692

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	Pilot and a passenger
length	6.40 m
span	10.67 m
Wing area	14.68 m²
height	2.34 m
Empty mass	379 kg
Takeoff mass	590 kg
drive	1 × Continental O-170 -3 boxer engine , 48.5 kW (65 PS)
Top speed	140 km / h
Service ceiling	2,360 m
Range	351 km
Armament	-

Preserved machines

• National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton (Ohio)
• United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker near Ozark , Alabama
• Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo , Michigan
• Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas
• Port Townsend Aero Museum at Jefferson County International Airport near Port Townsend
• American Airpower Heritage Museum in Midland, Texas
• Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Elmira , New York
• Museum of Flight in Seattle , Washington

There are still a number of privately-owned, airworthy L-3 aircraft in existence today.

Web links

Commons : Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• L-3 side of the National Museum of the United States Air Force (English)
• L-3 side of Warbird Alley (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 100 ff .; Rod Simpson: Aeronca - The Golden Age , in: Aviation World, Summer 2017 pp. 57–62