O-2 Skymaster

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An O-2 Skymaster dropping leaflets over Vietnam

The O-2 Skymaster (also known as the "Oscar Deuce" or "The Duck") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. The United States Air Force commissioned Cessna to build a military variant to replace the O-1 Bird Dog in 1966.

As with the civilian version, the Skymaster was a low cost twin-engine piston powered aircraft. The push-me pull-you arrangement meant simpler one-engine operating procedure compared to the common low-wing mounting of most twin engine light planes, and also retained the high wing that was judged to be useful for clear observation below and behind the aircraft. It would be replaced in FAC missions by the OV-10 Bronco and the A-37 Dragonfly.

The first O-2 flew in January 1967 and the plane went into production shortly thereafter, with the USAF taking delivery in March. A total of 532 O-2s were built for the USAF by 1970. The O-2 was also operated by the VNAF South Vietnamese Air Force.

Two variants of the aircraft were produced. The O-2A, designed for use in forward air control missions, features ordnance hard points underneath the wings to hold rockets and flares. On the other hand, the O-2B aircraft was designed for psychological warfare, and was equipped with loudspeakers and a leaflet dispenser, but otherwise carried no weapons.

While the O-2 fleet was retired and mothballed to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, as recently as 2005, 0-2s were spotted operating out of the military side of Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.

[edit] Specifications (O-2)

General characteristics

Crew: 2 - pilot and observer
Length: 29.75 ft (9.07 m)
Wingspan: 38.17 ft (11.63 m)
Height: 9.17 ft (2.79 m)
Wing area: 202.5 ft² (18.8 m²)
Empty weight: 2,848 lb (1,292 kg)
Loaded weight: 5,400 lb (2,448 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Continental IO-360C six-cylinder flat engines, 210 hp (157 kW) each