North American O-47

The North American O-47 was an American observation monoplane of the mid-1930s, flown by the United States Army Air Corps and the National Guard. It replaced the Thomas-Morse O-19 and Douglas O-38 biplanes with a larger and heavier low-wing design, retractable landing gear, a three-blade propeller and a long canopy over a crew of three seated in tandem, and deep belly windows let the observer see and photograph the ground beneath the wings. The prototype began in 1934 with General Aviation Manufacturing, a subsidiary of North American Aviation, as the GA-15. The Air Corps ordered 174 aircraft in 1937 and 1938 and a further 74 improved O-47Bs in 1938. Training manoeuvres in 1941 showed that light liaison aircraft, fighters and twin-engined bombers did the work better, so most O-47s were left with towing targets and coastal and anti-submarine patrol. A few survive in museums.