<p>The US Army Air Corps had been slow to appreciate the value of light aircraft for employment in an observation/liaison role, but information received from Europe in late 1940, where World War II was already more than a year old, highlighted their usefulness. Consequently, in 1941 the US Army began its own evaluation of this category of aircraft, obtaining four commercial lightplanes from each of three established manufacturers, namely Aeronca, Piper and Taylorcraft. For full field evaluation larger numbers of these aircraft were ordered shortly afterwards, to be deployed in the US Army's annual maneuvers which were to be held later in the year. It took very little time for the service to appreciate that these lightweight airplanes had a great deal to offer, both for rapid communications and in support of armed forces in the field.
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<p>The name Aeronca Aircraft Corporation had been adopted in 1941 by the company established in late 1928 as the Aeronautical Corporation of America. One of its most successful products was the Model 65 high-wing monoplane, developed to meet commercial requirements for a reliable dual-control tandem two-seat trainer. The four of these aircraft supplied initially to the USAAC became designated YO-58, and these were followed by 50 O-58, 20 O-58A and 335 O-58B aircraft, serving with the USAAF (established on 20 June 1941). In the following year the O (Observation) designation was changed to L (Liaison), and the O-58, O-58A and O-58B designations became respectively L-3, L-3A and L-3B. An additional 540 aircraft were delivered as L-3Bs and 490 L-3Cs were manufactured before production ended in 1944. The designations L-3D/-3E/-3F/-3G/-3H/-3J were applied to civil Model 65s with varying powerplant installations, which were pressed into military service when the United States became involved in World War II.
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<p>Most L-3s were generally similar, with small changes in equipment representing the variation from one to another. All shared the welded steel-tube fuselage/tail unit with fabric covering, and wings with spruce spars, light alloy ribs and metal frame ailerons, all fabric-covered. Landing gear was of the nonretractable tailwheel type, with the main units divided and incorporating oleo-spring shock-absorbers in the side vees.
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<p>With the requirement for a trainer suitable for glider pilots, Aeronca developed an unpowered version of the Model 65. This retained the wings, tail unit and aft fuselage of the L-3, but introduced a new front fuselage providing a third seat forward for an instructor, the original tandem seats being used by two pupils: all three occupants had similar flying controls and instruments. A total of 250 of these training gliders was supplied to the USAAF under the designation TG-5, and three supplied to the US Navy for evaluation were identified as LNR. Production of Aeronca liaison aircraft continued after the war, with planes supplied to the USAF under the designation L-16.
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<hi style=hdr1>Specification</hi>
<list style=aflst>
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> two-seat light liaison and observation monoplane
<item><hi format=bold>Powerplant:</hi> one 65-hp (48-kW) Continental O-170 flat-four piston engine
<item><hi format=bold>Performance:</hi> maximum speed 87 mph (140 km/h); cruising speed 46 mph (74 km/h); service ceiling 10,000 ft (3,050 m); range 200 miles (322 km)
<item><hi format=bold>Weights:</hi> empty 835 lb (379 kg); maximum take-off 1,300 lb (590 kg)
<item><hi format=bold>Dimensions:</hi> span 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m); length 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m); height 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m); wing area 158 sq ft (14.68 m<su>2</su>)
