Stinson L-1 Vigilant

what is it?

The Stinson L-1 Vigilant (company designation Model 74) is an American liaison aircraft designed by the Stinson Aircraft Company of Wayne, Michigan and manufactured at the Vultee-Stinson factory in Nashville, Tennessee (in August 1940 Stinson became a division of Vultee Aircraft Corporation). The aircraft was operated by the United States Army Air Corps as the O-49 until 1942 when the L-1 designation was applied. Although declared obsolete after the manufacturing contract was fulfilled, it continued in service with the Army Air Forces through 1945.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 15.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 196 km/htop speed
• size 1,542 kgmax take-off weight
• built 324made 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 86 years ago, in 1940.
• 🚗Wingspan of 15.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

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

spec sheet

first flight

1940-07-15

introduced

1941

number built

324

role

light observation, liaison

makers

Stinson

engines

1× Lycoming R-680-9

crew

3

length

10.4 m

wingspan

15.5 m

height

3.1 m

max take-off weight

1,542 kg

top speed

196 km/h

range

—

ceiling

3,901 m

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