The North American O-47 is an American observation

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...

monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a three-blade propeller.

Design and development

The O-47 was developed as a replacement for the Thomas-Morse O-19 and Douglas O-38 observation biplanes. It was larger and heavier than most preceding observation aircraft and its crew of three sat in tandem under the long canopy. Windows in the deep belly overcame the obstacle that the wings presented to downward observation and photography. The design for the XO-47 prototype originated in 1934 with General Aviation Manufacturing, a subsidiary of North American Aviation, as the GA-15. The Air Corps ordered 174 O-47s in 1937 to 1938, 93 of which were assigned to National Guard units. In 1938, the Army ordered 74 O-47Bs with a redesigned engine cowling for better cooling, an uprated engine, and improved radio equipment.

Operational history

Training maneuvers in 1941 demonstrated the shortcomings of the O-47. Single-engined light airplanes like the Piper L-4 and

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proved more capable of operating with ground troops, while

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

and twin engine bombers showed greater ability to perform recon and photo duties. Thus, O-47s during World War II, except for those caught at overseas bases by the Japanese attacks, were relegated to secondary duties such as towing targets, coastal patrol, and

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

patrol.

Variants

;XO-47: one built, serial number 36-145 in Dundalk, Maryland, 850 hp (634 kW) Wright R-1820-41 engine ;O-47A: 164 built in Inglewood California, Wright R-1820-49 engine ;O-47B: 74 built, minor improvements and a 1,060 hp (790 kW) Wright R-1820-57 engine installed,Swanborough and Bowers 1964 plus an extra 50 gallon fuel tank

Operators

; * United States Army Air Corps

Surviving aircraft

* 37-279 – O-47A in storage at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility of the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

Suitland, Maryland Suitland is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prio ...

. * 39-098 – O-47B owned by James P. Harker of Blaine, Minnesota. It was previously placed on loan to the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas by its owner William A. Dempsay, but was sold as of June 2014. * 39-112 – O-47B on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. It is displayed in the markings of an O-47A belonging to the 112th Observation Squadron of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fede ...

. It was acquired in 1978 from Loren L. Florey Jr., of

Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...

and was restored by the 179th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron,

Ohio Air National Guard The Ohio Air National Guard (OH ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is, along with the Ohio Army National Guard, an element of the Ohio National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Ohio Air ...

, Mansfield, Ohio. * Composite – O-47A under restoration at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. It is made up of serial numbers 38-284 and 38-295.

Specifications (O-47A)

References

;Notes ;Citations ;Bibliography * Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. . * Fahey, James C. ''U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946.'' New York: Ships and Aircraft, 1946. * Swanborough, F.G. and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft Since 1909.'' New York: Putnam New York, 1964. .

External links

Boeing: ''O-47'' - Official site
{{USAAF observation aircraft O-47, North American

O-47 The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a t ...

Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1935