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Grasshopper leaps through history
Nevada, Mo. -- A group of local aviators affiliated with the Air and Military Museum of the Ozarks in Springfield has a 1943 L-3B-AE Aeronca Grasshopper at the Nevada Airport. Designated as a liaison plane the aircraft was used for several duties. The plane is the military version of the Aeronca Model 65 "Defender."
Gary Rose, a member of the group, said the group is happy to be affiliated with the museum, which was well worth visiting.
"I think it costs five dollars to get in," Rose said. It's well worth the price. They have a lot of interesting displays there."
This plane was first used to train cadets in air evacuation.
"They could slide a stretcher in the back of the plane," Rose said. "It had other uses too."
Some of the other duties the plane was designed for were air spotting for artillery, courier service and pilot training. One of the advantages the light airplane had was the ability to operate from small, hastily-built airfields.
Unlike today's aircraft the plane has minimal instrumentation and the door is little more than plywood with a metal frame and simple window. The door is held closed by a simple latch, not much different from those often used on older barn doors.
"I was flying a while back and the latch came loose," Rose said. "The window opens and I used that to hold the door closed."
This plane was manufactured in Middletown, Ohio and went to Bowan Air Evacuation School in Kentucky to train cadets in October 1943. From there the plane went to the 4100 Base Depot, Wright Patterson Army Air Force Base in Ohio and the last active service the plane saw was at the 565th Base Unit in Reno, Nevada. Declared surplus in 1945 the plane had other owners and was purchased 12 years ago by the Nevada group.
The 21 foot long plane has a wingspan of 35 feet, weighs a maximum of 1,300 pounds, and is powered by a 65-horsepower engine. The plane originally cost the U.S. Army less than $3,000.