Loening OL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loening_OL

The Loening OL, also known as the Loening Amphibian, was an American two-seat
amphibious biplane built by Loening for the United States Army Air Corps and the
United States Navy.

First flown in 1923, the OL was a high-performance amphibian with a large single
hull and stabilizing floats fitted underneath each lower wing. The landing gear
was retractable by use of a hand crank in the cockpit, and the plane was
equipped with a tailskid for operations on land. It had a tandem open cockpit
for a crew of two. The aircraft could be flown from either cockpit, with a wheel
control in the forward cockpit and a removable stick control in the rear.
Navigation and engine instruments were located in the forward cockpit.

The hull was built of Duralumin on a wooden frame, with five watertight
compartments connected through a selector switch to a bilge pump in the rear
cockpit. Plugs in the bottom of each compartment permitted drainage on the
ground. The fuselage was constructed on top of the hull. The aircraft was
strength-tested at Columbia University.

Role
Amphibious observation aircraft

Manufacturer
Loening

First flight
1923

Primary users
United States Navy
United States Army Air Corps

Number built
165

The United States Army Air Corps ordered four prototypes as the XCOA-1, powered
by a 400-hp Liberty V-1650-1 engine mounted inverted for clearance of the
three-bladed variable-pitch steel propeller. The engine came with a fire
suppression sprinkler system and was encased in a streamlined cowling to protect
it from sea spray. Oil from a tank in the fuselage was cooled by passing through
a spiral copper tube exposed to the slipstream on top of the cowling. The fuel
tanks were mounted inside the hull, with a 140-gallon (530-liter) gasoline tank
under the wings, and a reserve 60-gallon (230-liter) gasoline-benzol tank
between the cockpits. Total fuel capacity provided for roughly ten hours of
flight.

A number of variants were introduced for both the Army and the Navy. During
later production, the company merged with the Keystone Aircraft Corporation.

Specifications (OL-9)

General characteristics
Crew: two (Naval ver had three)
Length: 34 ft 9 in (10.59 m)
Wingspan: 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m)
Height: 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Wing area: 504 ft2 (46.82 m2)
Empty weight: 3649 lb (1655 kg)
Gross weight: 5404 lb (2451 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1340-4 Wasp radial piston engine, 450 hp (336
kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 122 mph (196 km/h)
Range: 625 miles (1006 km)
Service ceiling: 14,300 ft (4360 m)




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