On Mar 8, 6:34 pm, "William L Butler" <butler...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> I am looking for someone who knows what the L-3F was used for. I have a
> rather detailed history, but can not determine the WW-2 use.
In a book my mother boought for my husband probably 20 years ago
"Vintage Flyers" by Eric Preston there is the following:
"AERONCA L-3
Employed in the Clivil Pilot Training program, the Aeronda Tandem has
already proven itself to be a safe and reliable aircraft. When the
military showed interest in an observation verison, Aeronca responded
immediately. Modified, somewhat, from civilian models (i.e., the
"Tandem" and the "Defender"), the L-3 was used primarily as a liaison
airplane. Although it was not very fast, it proved to be extremely
useful. Often flown from fields, beaches and roads, it functioned
with equal tenacity as an artillery spotter or a message courier. It
was used to deliver paperwork and supplied between units and to flu
replacement parts to downed aircraft or inoperative front line
equipment. Always an adaptable and utilitarian airplent, the two-
place L-# was a welcome addition to any squadron. Produced in
Middletown, Ohion, as the first of Aeronca's tandem nodels, this
series later gave way to the postwar Champions."
We have restored and owned a few a few of the differences I remember
are the wing bolts are about 2-3 times bigger than a normal Champ, the
wing spars were a lot thicker and the bare wing (no covering or dope
on it seemed a lot heavier), and instead of cables running to the tail
there was a piece of ?chrome moly tubing from the stick to the back of
the airplane. I also believe the bare fuselage was heavier so
possibly it had thicker tubing or a different kind of steel.
I know with Champs and Citabrias the -AC, BC, or other dash letters at
the end indicate some type of change like addition of a dorsal fin and
reinforcing bars in a Champ for a bigger engine, addition of flaps on
a Citabria, but I can never what those letters signify. Sometimes
it's just a different engine.
Hope this info is helpful. Also Buzz Wagner in South Dakota (we call
him Mr. Aeronca) has a lot of the STCs and parts for Aeronca and knows
just about everything there is to know about them. Carol (and Tom).
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