Aeronca Defender

infobox Aircraft
name = TC-65 Defender
type = light aircraft
manufacturer = Aeronca Aircraft



variants with their own articles = Aeronca L-3The Aeronca TC-65 Defender was an American high-wing light plane of the 1940s.Aeronautical Corporation of America formally changed its name to Aeronca Aircraft Corporation in 1941, and the onset of World War II ushered in a new era for Aeronca aircraft. Production of the TC-65 Defender was increased for use by the U.S. government's new Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program, created to train new pilots for possible wartime service.

The high-wing TC-65 Defender was soon pressed into wartime duty as Aeronca's version of the U.S. Army's “liaison” aircraft, designed to operate from small, primitive airfields. Sporting a wider fuselage, larger windows, and military instrumentation, the aircraft was designated by the Army as the O-58 and is often referred to by the liaison aircraft's generic nickname of “Grasshopper.”