The Stinson L-5 was the only purpose-built L-bird and the second most widely used liaison aircraft in WWII. It was rugged and powerful. The L-5 was called the Flying Jeep as it could perform many of the same duties.
The Aeronca L-3 joined similar Grasshopper-types in spotting, directing artillery fire, transport, short-range reconnaissance, and training. Some served in North Africa for the Free French Forces.
The Taylorcraft L-2 was an observation and reconnaissance aircraft built for U.S. Army Ground and Air Forces in WWII. L-2s were powered by a 65-horsepower engines and served stateside for training operations.
Hill Country Recorder, September 19, 1984, story and photo (From the back seat ofthe L-1) by Roger L. Berry. “RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE GOLDEN DAYS OF YESTERYEAR….” The men of the Alamo Wing of the Confederate Air Force did just that on the day of the Kendall County Fair Parade. While authentic World…
Trade-A-Plane cover, Second September Issue 1984. Flying Liaison Aircraft Museum, “The Alamo Liaison Group.” Photo by Roger Berry.
San Antonio Real Estate Association Newsletter—May 1984 The “Alamo Liaison Group’s” (ALG) Flying Museum acquired additional property at the Cannon Field airstrip for the expansion of the organization’s runway following eight months of negotiations by Geoff Sanders. The ALG includes area businessmen, bankers and retired military personnel who formed the organization to locate, purchase, restore,…
Part 1: Grasshoppers, authored by Brigadier General William W. Ford, retired, gives an account of the actions that led to the birth of Army Aviation. Originally published in United States Army Aviation Digest, June 1982, Volume 28, Number 6. The poem or whatever-it-is [below] (spoken with a Deep South accent), written for a celebration dinner…
Reprinted from Vintage Airplane magazine, June 1982, by E. E. “Buck” Hilbert The Army Air Corps had a whole series of “O” planes in use long before the Army asked the manufacturers to participate in the “Great Maneuvers” in Tennessee and Louisiana in 1941. These “O” types included some names still very familiar today, and…
San Antonio Express, Friday, May 28, 1982, by Joe Fohn. Nobody will mistake Hardy Cannon’s back yard for the hedgerows of Normandy. But the grass airstrip behind his home on loop 1604 near Somerset provides a natural habitat for an antique airplane collection unique in the world: Six World War II liaison planes, one example…
The Grasshoppers’ wartime operations record can point the way toward safer lightplane flying in the future. Reprinted from Flying magazine, January 1947, by Wilfred Owen. When lightplanes joined the Army shortly before Pearl Harbor they didn’t look very much like warriors. But they soon proved that you don’t have to be big and tough to…
Evolution of the Liaison-Type Airplane 1917-1944, Army Air Forces Historical Studies: No. 44, produced by AAF Historical Office, April 1946. A detailed look into how the U.S. arrived at the point where a diminutive airplane, collectively known as L-birds, or liaison aircraft, became some of the most imposing forces in the Allied victory of WWII.…
This WWII documentary film titled, “Perishable Rush,” shows how the Army Air Forces during World War II flew wounded men from Pacific battle areas to mobile army surgeons hospitals, hospital ships, and finally major hospitals and eventually home towns in the United States. Fast forward to the 3:18 mark to see L-4 in action. At…
Flying unarmed Piper L-4 Grasshopper, Stinson L-5 Sentinel and Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman light aircraft, the 159th Liaison Squadron flew courier and aerial reconnaissance missions and dropped munitions and supplies to American and Philippine forces fighting in the Battle of Luzon, and rescued many wounded soldiers. While the film is 20 minutes in length, the liaison…