O-52 Owl

Infobox Aircraft
name = O-52



caption = An O-52 at National Museum of the United States Air Force
type = Reconnaissance
manufacturer = Curtiss
designer =
first flight =
introduced = 1940
retired =
status =
primary user = United States Army Air Corps
more users =
produced = 203
number built =
unit cost = $31,000
variants with their own articles =

The Curtiss O-52 "Owl" is an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II.

Design and development

In 1940, the Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties. Upon delivery, the aircraft was used in military maneuvers with the USAAC, but following America's entry into WW II, the USAAF determined that the aircraft did not possess sufficient performance for "modern" combat operations in oversea areas. As a result, the O-52 was relegated to courier duties within the U.S. and short-range submarine patrol over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The O-52 was the last "O" type aircraft procured in quantity for the Air Corps. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the "O" designation was discontinued and the "L" series for liaison-type aircraft was adopted instead.

In November 1942, the USSR ordered 30 O-52 Owls through the Lend-Lease program. Twenty-six were shipped and only 19 ever made it to their shores. [cite book |last=Hardesty |first=Von |title=Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945 |origdate=1982 |year=1991 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0874745101 |pages=253 |chapter=Appendixes] Of these only 10 were accepted into service. They were used operationally for artillery-fire spotting and general photographic and observation platforms. Some were still flying into the 1950s. The aircraft was generally disliked in Soviet use.

Operators

;USA
* United States Army Air Corps;USSR

urvivors

* National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio

pecifications (O-52)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 26 ft 4¾ in
length alt= 8 m
span main= 40 ft 9½ in
span alt= 12.4 m
height main= 9 ft 11½ in
height alt= 3 m
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main=
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main= 5,364 lb
loaded weight alt= 2,433 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Pratt & Whitney R-1340-51
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= 600 hp
power alt= 447 kW
power original=
max speed main= 215 mph
max speed alt= 346 km/h
cruise speed main= 169 mph
cruise speed alt=272 km/h
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 455 miles
range alt=732 km
ceiling main= 23,200 ft
ceiling alt= 7,100 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* 1 × forward and 1 × rearward firing .30-cal (7.62 mm) machine gun
avionics=

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=
* Thomas-Morse O-19
* Douglas O-38
* North American O-47

lists=

see also=

References

External links