Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly

Last updated
YO-51 Dragonfly
YO-51 Dragonfly takeoff.jpg
RoleArmy observation and liaison
Manufacturer Ryan Aeronautical
First flight1940
Primary user United States Army Air Corps
Number built3

The Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly was an observation aircraft designed and built by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A single-engined parasol wing monoplane, it was designed for optimum STOL capability, but although three prototypes proved highly successful in testing, the Stinson YO-49 was judged superior and no production contract was placed.

Contents

Design

The design of the YO-51 Dragonfly was typical for aircraft of its type, being optimised for the observation and liaison role, with emphasis on the ability to operate out of the smallest possible airfields. [1] The Dragonfly was a high-wing braced parasol monoplane with fixed tailwheel landing gear, a two-seat open cockpit, and full-span slots and Fowler flaps for STOL capability. [2] It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-985-21 Wasp Junior radial engine. [3]

At gross weight, the YO-51 could, without flaps, take off after a run of 400 feet, while with full flaps the takeoff run would be only 75 feet, or just four feet more than twice its own length. [4] The Dragonfly was capable of maintaining level flight at speeds as low as 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), [5] and was claimed as being capable of landing in a distance shorter than the length of the aircraft itself. [6]

Operational history

Nicknamed the "flying motorcycle", [7] three YO-51 aircraft were acquired by the United States Army Air Corps to take part in a fly-off evaluation against the Stinson YO-49 and Bellanca YO-50 to supply a new observation and liaison aircraft for use by the USAAC. [8] The YO-51 was the heaviest of the three aircraft evaluated. [9]

Although the Dragonfly was considered satisfactory during its flight testing, [10] conducted at Wright Field in Ohio, [11] the Stinson machine won the production contract, and no further YO-51s were built. [12]

Specifications

YO-51 on the ground YO-51 on ground.jpg
YO-51 on the ground

Data from Donald 1997 [3]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

Cessna 170 American light aircraft

The Cessna 170 is an American light, single-engined, general aviation aircraft produced by the Cessna Aircraft Company between 1948 and 1956.

Stinson L-13

The Stinson L-13 was a US military utility aircraft first flown in 1945. Developed when Stinson was a subsidiary of Consolidated Vultee, rights to it were not included in the 1948 sale of Stinson to Piper. Mass production was therefore undertaken by Convair, which built some 300 of them.

Helio Courier

The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light C/STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.

American Champion Citabria

The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training, utility and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses from +5g to -2g. Its name spelled backwards, "airbatic", reflects this.

Curtiss O-52 Owl US Army WWII observation aircraft

The Curtiss O-52 Owl was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II.

Aeronca L-3

The Aeronca L-3 group of observation and liaison aircraft were used by the United States Army Air Corps in World War II. The L-3 series were adapted from Aeronca's pre-war Tandem Trainer and Chief models.

American Champion Scout Two-seat, high-wing, single-engined airplane

The 8GCBC Scout is a two-seat, high-wing, single-engined fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane that entered production in the United States in 1974. Designed for personal and commercial use, it is commonly found in utility roles such as bush flying—thanks to its short takeoff and landing (STOL) ability—as well as agriculture, pipeline patrol, and glider and banner towing.

Stinson L-5 Sentinel 1941 liaison aircraft family by Stinson

The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Aircraft Company. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of World War II that was purpose-built for military use and had no civilian counterpart. All other military liaison airplanes adopted during World War II were lightly modified "off-the-shelf" civilian models.

Miles Messenger

The Miles M.38 Messenger is a British four-seat liaison and private owner aircraft built by Miles Aircraft.

Stinson L-1 Vigilant

The Stinson L-1 Vigilant was a 1940s American light observation aircraft built by the Stinson Aircraft Company at Wayne, Michigan. The aircraft was operated by the United States Army Air Corps as the O-49 until 1942.

Douglas O-31 US military observation aircraft introduced 1930

The Douglas O-31 was the Douglas Aircraft Company's first monoplane observation straight-wing aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps.

Bellanca YO-50

The Bellanca YO-50 was a United States prototype observation aircraft, built for the United States Army in 1940. Typical for aircraft of its type, it was a high-wing braced monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage and extensive cabin glazing. Its inverted "V" engine made it resemble its German equivalent, the Fieseler Storch.

Bellanca Skyrocket II

The Bellanca 19-25 Skyrocket II was a prototype light airplane built in the United States in the 1970s. Despite its advanced design and exceptionally good performance, it never achieved certification or entered production.

The Fletcher FL-23 was an American two-seat liaison or observation aircraft designed and built by the California-based Fletcher Aviation Corporation. It was entered into a competition and lost against the Cessna 305A as a liaison or observation aircraft for the United States Army.

Kobeseiko Te-Gō

The Kobeseiko Te-Gō was a Japanese two-seat STOL experimental reconnaissance aircraft developed by Kobe Steel in 1942 for service in World War II. In accordance with the Army's request, Professor T. Miki, Osaka Imperial University designed and Kobe Seikojo built the Te-Gō. No "Ki" code number was assigned there to since the project was outside the jurisdiction of the Army Aviation Headquarters.

The Fisher Horizon is a family of Canadian two-seats-in-tandem, conventional landing gear, single-engined, high-wing monoplane kit aircraft designed for construction by amateur builders. The Horizon 1 was inspired by the Aeronca Champion and its later version, the Bellanca Citabria, while the Horizon 2 was inspired by the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog.

Mississippi State University XV-11 Marvel American STOL research aircraft

The Mississippi State University XV-11A Marvel was an experimental American STOL research aircraft of the 1960s. The MARVEL (Mississippi Aerophysics Research Vehicle with Extended Latitude) was a single-engined pusher monoplane fitted with a boundary layer control system. The first all-composite aircraft, it carried out its initial program of research on behalf of the US Army in the late 1960s, and was rebuilt in the 1980s as a proof-of-concept for a utility aircraft.

Curtiss O-40 Raven

The Curtiss O-40 Raven was an American observation aircraft of the 1930s which was built and used in small numbers. A single example of the YO-40, a single-engined Sesquiplane with a retractable undercarriage was built, followed by four examples of a modified monoplane version, the O-40B, which remained in use until 1939.

Ikarus Kurir Yugoslavian military aircraft

The Ikarus Kurir is a single-engined high-wing monoplane designed in Yugoslavia for army liaison and air ambulance work from small airfields. Built in large numbers, it served with the Yugoslav Air Force (JRV) until 1972, when it entered civilian use.

Stearman XOSS

The Stearman XOSS was an American biplane observation floatplane developed by Stearman Aircraft for the United States Navy during the late 1930s. Intended to replace the Curtiss SOC Seagull in service aboard battleships, it proved inferior to the Vought OS2U Kingfisher in a fly-off, and did not enter production.

References

Notes
  1. Penfield 1941, p.31.
  2. Foottit, H. R. (February 1942). "The Fowler Flap". Flying and Popular Aviation . Chicago: Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. 30 (2): 71.
  3. 1 2 Donald 1997, p.794.
  4. Fowler 1948, p.79.
  5. Rowe 2006, p.22.
  6. Wilson, Gill Robb (July 1954). "Genealogy of American Aircraft". Flying . Chicago: Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. 55 (1): 23.
  7. "U. S. Army's "Flying Motorcycle"". The Boston Globe . Boston, MA. May 25, 1941. p. C1.
  8. Pattillo 2001, p.137.
  9. Adcock 2005, p.5.
  10. "The Dragonfly---Army's Newest Observation Plane". The Milwaukee Sentinel . Milwaukee, WI. February 23, 1940. p. 2.
  11. "Army Tests New B-17C". The New York Times . New York. November 17, 1940. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  12. Merriam 2002, p.26.
Bibliography