Stinson L-1

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Stinson L-1
Stinson O-49, probably in North Africa
Type: Liaison aircraft and artillery observation
Design country:

United States 48United States United States

Manufacturer:

Stinson Aircraft

First flight:

1940

The Stinson L-1 (before 1942: O-49 ) "Vigilant" was a light liaison and observation aircraft used by the US armed forces during World War II.

Overview

The use of the O-49 as an observation aircraft for close air support shows a significant trend reversal in the procurement method of the US Air Corps. In the interwar period, all-metal constructions with powerful engines and armaments were developed on behalf of the army. As the opponents in question improved their fighter aircraft, this concept came under increasing criticism. Years of "tug-of-war" between the various army offices, the Air Force and the aircraft manufacturers were the result. When the US Army came under pressure when the USA entered the war in 1941 and especially at the beginning of the North Africa campaign, the choice fell on successful civilian basic structures from the prewar period. The leading manufacturers such as Piper , Aeronca , Stinson and others were asked to have their products tested by the army for use as observation and liaison aircraft. The ingenuity of this decision lay in the low development costs, the economical use of essential raw materials and the user-friendliness of the designs. It was mainly about fabric-covered steel lattice hulls and wings made of wood. Armament was dispensed with in favor of weight, but the aircraft had excellent low-speed and low-flight characteristics. The disadvantage lay in the initially serious underpowering of civil sport aircraft. The Stinson Model 74 still offered acceptable performance with a radial engine, and 142 units with the military designation O-49 (O for Observer) were taken over. A version with a 30 cm longer fuselage followed as the O-49A , 182 of which were ordered.

Stinson L-1 after retirement with civil registration

Further development

It was used in all theaters of the Second World War and was constantly given new tasks in addition to the originally intended ones. The aircraft, which was equipped with automatically extending slats, was also used for transporting the wounded, for courier services and for supply and front-line communication in inaccessible areas. Several other civilian designs followed the O-49, and all of these designs were given the code letter "L" for "Liaison" (in German: "Connection") in 1942. The O-49 became the L-1 and the O-49A became the L-1A . Subsequently, the versions L-1B to L-1F ( F stands for floats , in German: Schwimmer , five copies of the seaplane version were made) and L-1T .

Until 1945, aerodynamic experiments such as active boundary layer extraction were carried out with the L-1, among other things, because of its good-natured flight characteristics . An 80 hp compressor was carried along, which sucks off the drag-generating turbulent boundary layer over the entire length of the wing. The result of the experiments carried out by Professor Edgar Stalker was to the disadvantage of the new technology due to insufficient profitability, but relevant data were obtained.

The Royal Air Force and the Australian Air Force (RAAF) used the L-1 as a Stinson Vigilant in Europe and Asia as part of the loan and lease law .

production

Acceptance of the Stinson L-1 by the USAAF:

version 1940 1941 1942 TOTAL
L-1 1 171 152 324

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 2
length 10.40 m
span 15.54 m
height 3.05 m
Empty mass 1,211 kg
Takeoff mass 1,535 kg
Top speed 196 km / h
Service ceiling 5,486 m (18,000 ft)
Range 450 km
Engine Lycoming R-680 -9 with 295 hp
Armament -

See also

Web links

Commons : Stinson L-1 Vigilant  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 100 ff.