N55789 "Miss Ziggy," operated by the Dallas/Fort Worth Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Photo by Col. Harlan Short and courtesy CAF.

History: By the latter half of the 19th century, armies in combat were beginning to adapt new technologies, like hot air balloons, to supplement cavalry reconnaissance units in trying to ferret out enemy movements and dispositions. The early days of World War I saw the airplane employed in similar capacity until someone hit upon the idea of arming those aircraft with guns and bombs, drastically changing their role to that of flying weapons platform, thereby altering the nature of warfare radically. By the time World War II broke out, liaison/observation aircraft had become a highly specialized group.

The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was one such aircraft, derived from the pre-war Stinson Model 105 Voyager. In 1941, the Army Air Corps purchased six Voyagers from Vultee Aircraft (which had acquired Stinson in 1940) for testing, these aircraft being designated as YO-54s. Meanwhile, a modified variant of the Voyager, called the Model 75B, had been demonstrated for the Army. The Model 75B incorporated some features and components of the earlier Voyager series, but was an entirely new design. The Army ordered this model in quantity, designating it first as the O-62 ("O" for Observation), and subsequently as the L-5 when the type designation was changed, in 1942, to indicate "Liaison" aircraft.

With short field takeoff and landing capabilities, and the ability to operate from unimproved forward airstrips, the two-crew L-5s were used during World War II for reconnaissance; delivering supplies to, and evacuating litter patients from, isolated units; rescuing Allied personnel from remote areas; laying of communications wire; transporting of personnel; and -- on occasion -- as a light bomber. Nicknamed "the Flying Jeep," the L-5 demonstrated amazing versatility, even landing and taking off from tree-top platforms constructed above a thick Burmese jungle which could not be cleared for more conventional airstrips.

When the craft was produced specifically for the air ambulance role, its structure was enlarged and an additional door was added to accommodate stretchers (L-5B through L-5G). In British RAF service the L-5 and L-5B were known, respectively, as Sentinel Mk I and Sentinel Mk II.

Air Force Museum sources show that the US Army Air Corps procured 3,590 L-5s between 1942-45. 306 L-5s went to the Marines, where they received the U.S. Navy label OY-1 after Consolidated and Vultee had merged. In addition, eight Stinson 105s and 12 Model 10A Voyagers were "drafted" into Army Air Corps service under the designations AT-19A and AT-19B, respectively. Those designations were later changed to L-9A and L-9B, respectively. Another variant, the OY-2, was the Navy/Marine version of the L-5G, manufactured beginning in late 1945.

After WWII, the Sentinel served with distinction in the Korean War and continued in active service with the USAF until at least 1955, with some units still on the rolls until 1962 when the L-5G (the final variant) designation was changed to the Air Force's U-19B, while the Army's remaining L-5's were reclassified as U-19As. Their redefinition to utility, rather than liaison, is a stark reminder that technology is rarely static, as the passing of both the reconnaissance balloon and light liaison aircraft demonstrate.

Nicknames: "The Flying Jeep;" "Jungle Angel."

Specifications (L-5):
        Engine: One 185-hp Lycoming O-435-1 flat-six piston engine
        Weight: Empty 1,550 lbs., Max Takeoff 2,020 lbs.
        Wing Span: 34ft. 0in.
        Length: 24ft. 1in.
        Height: 7ft. 11in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 130 mph
            Ceiling: 15,800 ft.
            Range: 360 miles
        Armament: None

Number Built:  3,590

Number Still Airworthy: <200

Cockpit Photo:

(Click for Larger)

[Flight Report by Budd Davisson]

[Stinson L-5 Photos]

Links:
International Stinson Club
L-5 "Betsy" -- An L-5 under restoration in San Diego, California, USA
Sentinel Owners & Pilots Association
Stinson L-5 Sentinel Owners and Fan Club (Facebook)
Stinson L-5 Sentinel Wikipedia page
Stinson L-5 walkaround photos

 

 

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