Brought the 2nd L-3 home today

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

We got the 2nd L-3 home today, 1943 L-3C 43-1612. Both are now here at home safe and sound with restoration under way on the O-58A. After loading yesterday we enjoyed a great meal at the Barnstomers Grill at Peach State Aerodrome. Good time with great friends while saving our history one aircraft at a time.

TAdan · **Posted:** Wed May 23, 2012 5:43 pm

Congratulations on the new toy. :drink3:

TROJANII · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 184

Wood wing spars?

51fixer · **Posted:** Wed May 23, 2012 7:15 pm

TROJANII wrote:

Wood wing spars?

Yes

Keep the Terminx contract up to date.

Kyleb · **Posted:** Wed May 23, 2012 7:18 pm

TROJANII wrote:

Wood wing spars?

All the 2 seat Aeroncas (L-birds, Chiefs, Champs, and the follow-on Citabrias) had wooden spars. More recently (going back 15 or 20 years, IIRC), they switched to metal spars on the Citabrias and Decathlons.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

TROJANII wrote:

Wood wing spars?

The WWII Tactical aircraft that destroyed more German troops, armor and material than any other aircraft had wood spars. Do you know which tactical aircraft it was? German troops and AA batteries were deathly afraid of this aircraft and would not fire on it for fear of giving away their positions. They would only fire once they had been discovered. The pilots of these aircraft had bounties on them and any German soldier that shot one down got a weeks leave.

German artillery batteries would fall silent, and cease fire as soon as one of these aircraft appeared in the air overhead.

A hint, it was not the P-47, B-25 or A-20. It was not the B-17 as it was a strategic aircraft not tactical.

17f · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2010 10:56 pm **Posts:** 48

Mosquito?

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

Another hint, they were flown off makeshift carriers during Operation Torch and operated over the beach head and just inland wrecking havoc on German positions and vehicles.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

17f wrote:

Mosquito?

No, not even close but the Mossie is one heck of an aircraft.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

Final clues, they were also flown off aircraft carriers made from converted LSTs during Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France. It was George Patton's favorite aircraft and he logged many hours in flight in them over the front lines.

JohnB · **Posted:** Wed May 23, 2012 9:40 pm

deltascrew · **Joined:** Thu May 13, 2010 9:38 pm **Posts:** 30

A flying-off deck aboard a US LST during WWII. This platform allowed light Army aircraft to be flown off to support invasions, but they could not land aboard............found this on hazegrey.org

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 98

JohnB wrote:

L-4.

Correct!

A single L-4 could bring down a rain of devastation from US artillery batteries and adjust the fire with deadly precision They also directed naval gunfire, the amount of firepower an L-4 could bring to bear on a target was staggering and there was literally no place to go or hide from the low and slow Cub.

The L-4 was not glamorous just deadly effective.

JDK · **Posted:** Thu May 24, 2012 4:41 am

Neat! Congratulations.

Eugene Ely would've liked that flying off deck. Not sure who'd go for it as much after him, though!

L-4Pilot wrote:

The pilots of these aircraft had bounties on them and any German soldier that shot one down got a weeks leave.

Ooooo. I smell Allied propaganda. Any evidence for this from a German source? That sort of claim pops up again and again in wartime Allied stories, mainly because it makes us feel good about the story, rather than making sense from the enemy's point of view.

F'instance, and on the topic, it's sometimes claimed that the aircraft that directed the single greatest weight of fire was an Auster AOP (the British Empire precursor of the L birds) directing the fire of the battleships and cruisers off the Normandy beaches. Certainly a good claim, if always arguable!

Regards,

Stephan Wilkinson · **Joined:** Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:23 am **Posts:** 242

Bill Strohmeier was my very first flight instructor.

And you L4 enthusiasts certainly know who Bill is, right?

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Brought the 2nd L-3 home today

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