L-3B Grasshopper
Military History
The Aeronca L-3B Grasshopper is a two-seat tandem observation and liaison aircraft used by the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II for transport duties, spotting activities, directing artillery fire, and short range reconnaissance.
Read more information on the L-3B Grasshopper from the free online resource 'Wikipedia'.
L-3B - Constr #: O58B 3432 - Serial No: 42-36317 (U.S. Army Air Force)
The known history of this aircraft is listed below.
| Date | Squadron | Squadron Name | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Jun 13 | Manufactured | Middletown, OH | |
| 1942 Jun 25 | Delivered | Used as Primary Trainer for glider pilots | Sooner Aviation, Ocmulgee, OK |
| 1943 Sep 10 | Declared Surplus | WTS (War Training Service) | |
| 1944 Mar 21 | 1,038 Hrs Flown | Bernard N. Pietenpol (Civilian), Spring Valley, MN | |
| 1953 | Melvin Simonson, Boyceville, WI | ||
| 1963 | Reuban Zahler, Verona, WI | ||
| 1989 | Jeffery Hill, Sr., Woodstock, IL - Restored to factory condition - First Flight 1999 - Damaged in hangar collapse one week later.... - Restored to factory condition - First Flight 2000 | ||
| 2017 Jan | Warbird Heritage Foundation |
SPECIFICATIONS
| Manufacturer: | Aeronca Aircraft Company |
| Model: | L-3B / O-58B |
| Year Built: | 1942 |
| Constr # / Plant: | 058B 3432 / Middletown, OH |
| Serial No: | 42-36317 (U.S. Army Air Force) |
| N-Number: | N48118 |
| Engines: | One |
| Continental O-65-8 flat 4 engine | |
| 65 HP | |
| Length: | 21 ft. 10 in. |
| Height: | 9 ft. 1 in. |
| Wingspan: | 35 ft. |
| Weight: | Empty: 834 lbs. |
| Max Takeoff: 1,260 lbs. | |
| Performance: | Range: 218 miles |
| Max Speed: 87 MPH |
GALLERY
Explore the photos of our aircraft on this page by clicking the play arrow, or click on the square in the upper right hand corner to go to full screen. Once on the page, click play. To return to this page, click upper right hand button again. In full screen mode, you can double click the image to get a close-up view.
Exterior and Interior Photos
AVAILABILITY
Our L-3B Grasshopper is available for airshows and special events. For additional information, please contact us!