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North American O-47

first flew 1935· observation

🎖️ military piston
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. North American O-47B USAF: USAF· Public domain
  2. 2. North American O-47B 1941: USAF· Public domain
  3. 3. O-47B: Fritzmann2002· CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. 4. 101st Observation Squadron O-47: USAAF. The original uploader was Ktr101 at English Wikipedia ., 4 August 2009 (original upload date)· Public domain
  5. 5. 108th Observation Squadron - North American O-47B 39-108-04: United States Air Force· Public domain
  6. 6. 108th Observation Squadron - North American O-47B 39-108-07: United States Air Force· Public domain
  7. 7. 39th Observation Squadron North American O-47A France Field Canal Zone 1941: United States Army Air Forces· Public domain
  8. 8. Maryland NG crews with O-47s 1940: U.S. Army· Public domain
  9. 9. North American O-47A (15954759987): SDASM Archives· Public domain
  10. 10. North American O-47A 37-260 (16138617121): SDASM Archives· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
North American O-47, photo 1 of 10
1/10 USAF· Public domain

what is it?

The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a three-blade propeller.

How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 14.1 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 356 km/htop speed
  • range 1,352 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 3,464 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 239made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 91 years ago, in 1935.
  • Top speed is 2.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 14.1 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Range of 1,352 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight
1935-11
introduced
1937
number built
239
role
observation
makers
North American Aviation
engines
1× Wright R-1820-49
length
10.2 m
wingspan
14.1 m
height
3.7 m
max take-off weight
3,464 kg
top speed
356 km/h
cruise speed
322 km/h
range
1,352 km
ceiling
7,071 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q1974688, Wikipedia: North American O-47 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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