Douglas O-31A Observation Plane
February 1942 Flying Aces

February 1942 Flying Aces

Flying Aces February 1942 - Airplanes and Rockets Table of Contents

These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

The February 1942 issue of Flying Aces magazine contained a quadruplet of 3-view scale drawings of early airplanes: The German Fokker D.V Albatros fighter biplane, the American Army Air Force's Douglas O-31A observation monoplane, the Ryan Navy Seaplane, and Russian I-16 Mosca fighter low wing monoplane. Per Wikipedia, "The Douglas O-31 was the Douglas Aircraft Company's first monoplane observation straight-wing aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps. Anxious to retain its position as chief supplier of observation aircraft to the USAAC, Douglas developed a proposal for a high-wing monoplane successor to the O-2. A contract was signed on January 7, 1930 for two XO-31 prototype aircraft, the first of them being flown in December of the same year. A fabric-covered gull-wing monoplane, the XO-31 had a slim corrugated dural-wrapped fuselage, carrying a tandem arrangement of open cockpits for the pilot and observer. It had one 675 hp Curtiss GIV-1570-FM Conqueror V-12 engine and fixed landing gear with provision for large wheel fairings."

Douglas O-31A

Douglas O-31A Observation Plane, February 1942 Flying Aces - Airplanes and RocketsFormer Army Air Corps Douglas Observation

Span = 45' 11"

Length = 33' 10-1/2"

Corrugated Rudder and Elevator

 

Posted October 28, 2019