Douglas O-31A Observation Plane
February 1942 Flying Aces

February 1942 Flying Aces 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

Former Army Air Corps Douglas Observation

Span = 45' 11"

Length = 33' 10-1/2"

Corrugated Rudder and Elevator

Posted October 28, 2019