Cessna Warbirds by Walt Shiel

O-2A Owner Looking for Memorabilia

UPDATE: Interested in buying the O-2 profiled below? Email me at Walt@CessnaWarbirds.com and I will put you in touch with Tom.

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If any ex-O-2 FACs have some memorabilia related to their experiences in the unpleasantness in Southeast Asia, I know somebody who would really like to showcase it.

Tom O’Halloran, in Connecticut, has a beautifully restored O-2A that is ready for the airshow circuit next year. Not only does it look great, this particular O-2 has a somewhat special history — it was one of only six operated by the US Navy for eight years after being removed from the USAF inventory. Tom provided the photos below (except for the bottom one in the window comparison set, which was provided by John Wiley).

Tom O'Halloran with N590D (67-21300)

I discussed the Oscar Duck with Tom. Herewith the transcript of that discussion.

Walt Shiel: So, Tom, what led you to buy an O-2 in the first place?

Tom O’Halloran: I always have been fascinated with the O-2. I am a former military combat aviator myself, I was specifically drawn to it’s combat mission and the fact you can still purchase a true combat aircraft today with a fairly low operating cost compared to other warbirds. I was fairly selective…no, I would say very selective and waited for the perfect ship to come along, and when it did I did not hesitate. I can honestly say when I strap into the aircraft, it doesn’t know it is a small aircraft and I don’t either…I feel like I am stepping back in time and I can’t put into words how solid of an aircraft it is to fly. I know it will take me home every time.

Tom's O-2A

Walt: Where and when did you buy this particular airplane?

Tom: I purchased the aircraft in December 2007 from an individual owner who had restored the aircraft out on the West Coast…I honestly say it is the nicest O-2A in the world and could not be replaced or duplicated today. I wanted to keep the Military theme/history of the aircraft but bring it up to today’s standard for flying in the national airspace. From the rocket pods to UHF and FM radio and Gun Site…it is in perfect condition. I am a full-time professional corporate pilot flying and managing a Gulfstream that operates worldwide and needed GPS and TCAS at a minimum to keep me safe on those sunny weekend days in the Northeast.

Tom's cockpit

Walt: Do you have records of the aircraft’s military history?

Tom:

May 1967 - To 504th Tactical Air Support Group (Pacific Air Forces), Binh Thuy AB, Vietnam
Oct 1967 - To Nakhon Phanom RTAFB Thailand (deployment to Ubon RTAFB, Thailand)
May 1969 - To Bien Hoa AB, Vietnam
Sep 1970 - To Cam Ranh Bay AB, Vietnam
Feb 1971 - To 111th Tactical Air Support Group (Air National Guard), NAS Willow Grove, PA
Nov 1974 - To 115th Tactical Air Support Group (ANG), Truax Field, WI
Aug 1979 - To 163rd Tactical Air Support Group (ANG), Ontario MAP, CA
Aug 1982 - Dropped from inventory by transfer to US Navy (it flew for many years out at NAS Fallon, and I also have all the military logs from the Navy)

Walt: Who did the restoration and how long did it take?

Tom: The restoration was done mostly by an individual located on the West Coast…he is probably the most detail-orientated person I know and the quality is top notch. The restoration took over two years.

Walt: Any plans for taking your O-2 to airshows next season?

Tom: I have normally have options to attend several large shows each year, the problem is my work schedule is fairly unpredictable and I have missed several of the shows that I wanted to attend. I always plan to get it to Oshkosh because I strongly feel it will win…maybe 2010.

As one of the first O-2s produced, Tom's aircraft has the smaller pilot side window (top). After the first few, all O-2As had the larger window (bottom).

Walt: Anything else you’d like to add?

Tom: I have never let it spend a night outdoors and it is ALWAYS kept in a heated hangar! If anyone would like to donate any memorabilia or anything at all for the O-2A, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Tom, and good luck with your USAF/Navy Oscar Duck!

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NOTE: If you have anything you’d like to donate to support Tom and his O-2, email me at Walt@CessnaWarbirds.com and I will forward your message to Tom.

Tom and his O-2A making a low pass

Army & Navy O-2As

Published 21 December 2009 US Navy , army , o-2 , skymaster , warbirds Leave a Comment
Tags: Cessna O-2A, Cessna Skymaster, military Cessna

Although almost all of the Cessna O-2s in US service were flown by the US Air Force, there were a few flown by other services.

Between 1974 and 1979, the US Army’s Berlin Aviation Detachment acquired two O-2A aircraft from the USAF to replace their two U-6A Beavers for support missions within the small Berlin Control Zone (the infamous Berlin Wall still stood and the city of Berlin was still divided). The Army repainted the aircraft in the same color schemes as other Berlin mission support aircraft. Since the 1946 Berlin Air Agreement prohibited the operation of combat aircraft within the Berlin Control Zone, the Army had to remove the aircraft’s underwing hardpoints. At least one has been restored to Army colors and specifications and is owned by a private owner in California.

Restored US Army O-2A (Jim Grenier photo)

Between 1982 and 1990, the US Navy operated six O-2A aircraft from for routine mission support duties. At least two examples have been privately acquired, restored to Navy specifications and colors, and can be seen regularly at air shows.

Restored US Navy O-2A

Clandestine Cessna Citations

Published 15 December 2009 A-37 , Citation , Dragonfly , T-47 , UC-35 Leave a Comment
Tags: cessna a-37, Cessna Citation, Cessna T-47, military Cessna

In a previous post, I wrote about the Navy Cessna T-47, a missionized Cessna Citation used in the Undergraduate Naval Flight Officer program back in 1984-92.

US Navy Cessna T-47A

The story of military Citations, however, did not end there. I also wrote about the Army and Marine UC-35. There is yet another chapter in the Citation story.

In June 1995, USAF awarded Cessna a $40.8 million contract for five OT-47B Tracker aircraft for DoD’s counter-drug missions. Although based on the original T-47A, the OT-47B incorporated a longer fuselage, upgraded engines, the radar from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and an infrared imaging system. The Trackers are operated by Aviation Development Corp., with headquarters at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama (which may be a CIA-run company).

Some years ago, I discussed this program with Lt Col Frank Pratt in the Reconnaissance Systems Program Office at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, who confirmed that the aircraft would be used in operations where the Rules of Engagement were uncertain and where the “bad guys” were, indeed, truly “bad.”

Available records indicate that an OT-47B (crewed by three contractor pilots and a Peruvian Air Force officer) monitored the downing of a US missionary plane by a Peruvian Air Force Cessna A-37B Dragonfly on April 20, 2001.