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A 1956-built Aeronca 7BCM in 2011 painted to represent an L-16A
The Aeronca L-16 was a
United States Army liaison aircraft built by
Aeronca . It saw extensive service during the
Korean War . It was essentially a militarized version of the
Aeronca Champion . From 1955 large numbers were transferred to the
Civil Air Patrol .
[1]
Derived from the
Aeronca Champion (Aeronca Model 7 series), the L-16 primarily replaced the similar
Piper L-4 (a modified
Piper Cub ) in U.S. military service. The L-16 afforded generally better performance, stability, visibility and comfort, while its safety characteristics were a mix of better and worse than the L-4.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Variants
L-16A (7BCM Champion)
509 built, 376 of them produced for the
Air National Guard ,
[5] used in Korea 1950, 85 hp (63 kW)
Continental O-190 -1 (C85) engine.
[6]
L-16B (7CCM Champion)
Military version of the Model 7AC used as training aircraft for
United States Army ,
[6] 90 hp (67 kW)
Continental O-205 -1 (C90) engine.
[7] 100 were built.
[1]
Operators
United States
Japan
Specifications (L-16B)
3-view line drawing of the Aeronca L-16
Data from United States Military Aircraft Since 1909
[5]
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Height: 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Wing area: 170 sq ft (16 m2 )
Empty weight: 890 lb (404 kg)
Gross weight: 1,450 lb (658 kg)
Powerplant: 1 ×
Continental O-205 -1 (C90) air-cooled
flat-four , 90 hp (67 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 110 mph (180 km/h, 96 kn)
Cruise speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
Range: 350 mi (560 km, 300 nmi)
Service ceiling: 14,500 ft (4,400 m)
Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
See also
Related development
References
^
a
b Andrade 1979, p. 130
^ Aerofiles.com,
"Aeronca" page , Aircraft section, retrieved Feb. 22, 2016
^ Davisson, Budd.
"Comparing the Classics: The Aeronca Champ," EAA/Sport Aviation, June 1997,
Experimental Aircraft Association , as reproduced on the author's website, retrieved 2016-02-01
^ Air Training Department, The Artillery School, U.S. Army, "
The New Grasshopper—L-16
Archived 2018-09-21 at the
Wayback Machine ," (semi-official U.S. Army tutorial written to guide pilots transitioning from the Piper L-4 to the Aeronca L-16) The Field Artillery Journal , Nov-Dec 1947, United States Army
^
a
b Swanborough and Bowers 1964, p. 33.
^
a
b Eden and Moeng, 2002. p. 44.
^ Harding 1997, p. 13
Bibliography
Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 . Midland Counties Publications.
ISBN
0-904597-22-9 .
Eden, Paul and Moeng, Soph, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft . London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002.
ISBN
0-7607-3432-1 .
Harding, Stephen (1997).
U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947 . Atglen, PA, USA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
ISBN
978-0-7643-0190-2 .
Jones, Geoffrey P. (March–April 2001). "Liaison by Aeronca: L-16, Korean Veteran Turned 'Warbird' ". Air Enthusiast (92): 13–15.
ISSN
0143-5450 .
Swanborough, F. G.;
Bowers, Peter M. (1964). United States Military Aircraft Since 1909 . London: Putnam.
Models Names Military designations
Foreign variants
Civilian Military Experimental Built under licence