The Berliner-Joyce OJ was an American biplane observation

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

developed by the Berliner-Joyce Aircraft for the United States Navy during the early 1930s.

Design and development

The origins of the OJ stemmed from a 1929 Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) requirement calling for an observation seaplane intended for service aboard ''Omaha'' class light cruisers, readily convertible to wheels or floats and light enough to operate from the cruiser-type catapult. Prototypes were ordered from Keystone-Loening (then a subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright), Berliner-Joyce and Vought, and designated as the XOK-1, XOJ-1 and XO4U-1 respectively. The Berliner Joyce design, a conventional

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

of mixed metal and fabric construction with staggered wings and the pilot and observer seated in tandem in open cockpits, first flew in May 1931. By that time the rival XOK-1 was already destroyed in a crash. Following trials that lasted into 1932, BuAer awarded Berliner-Joyce a contract. An order for 18 production aircraft designated OJ-2 was placed in March 1932, and two more orders followed, one in May 1933 for nine aircraft and a further 12 aircraft in December 1933 for use by reserve units. One OJ-2 modified in early 1934 with an NACA-type cowling and enclosed cockpits was delivered for trials as the XOJ-3, but after a crash it was rebuilt and returned to service as an OJ-2.

Operational history

The OJ entered service with VS-5B and VS-6B in 1933 mainly for use on ''Omaha'' class light cruisers. Some OJs were used by reserve units with the first being VN-6R which were based near Washington to train reserve pilots and to enable staff officers to maintain their flying categories. By 1936 all the remaining aircraft were operated by reserve units and at the outbreak of the Second World War 29 aircraft were still in service. The Navy stopped the overhaul program for the aircraft and by the middle of 1941 all of them had been struck off charge. Unusually for its generation, only four aircraft were lost in accidents without any loss of life.

Variants

;XOJ-1 :Prototype powered by a 400hp R-985-1 Wasp Junior radial engine, one built. ;OJ-2 :Production variant which had interchangeable floats or wheeled landing gear, 39 built. ;XOJ-3 :One production OJ-2 modified with NACA cowling and enclosed cockpit; later reverted to the standard OJ-2 configuration and returned to service.

Operators

; * United States Navy ** VS-5B ** VS-6B

Specifications (OJ-2)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{USN observation aircraft 1930s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Floatplanes OJ Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1931