The Cessna O-2 Skymaster - Vietnam War Forward Air Control Aircraft

the Cessna O2 skymaster an unusual looking  aircraft with some great nicknames like   the Oscar Deuce Push Pull suck and blow engine  sandwich huff and puff and the coming and going   this was an unexpected and interim aircraft  that fought and flew in the Vietnam War it   was used by Brave Pilots for FAC that's  Forward Air Control it was further used   for psychological operations though  not typically involving chimpanzees when America fully committed to the Vietnam  war in the early 1960s the Cessna 01 bird dog   was being flown as an observation aircraft  and would also take on the FAC role here it   is anachronistically being flown during World  War II in the film Battle of the Bulge these   aircraft first saw action with the US military  during the Korean War they were good reliable   aircraft and could Mount Rockets under the wings  but they were completely unarmored Pilots would   sit on flak jackets for protection they were  slow with a maximum speed of a hundred knots   the United States Air Force began developing a  replacement for the bird dog in 1964. something   faster armored and purpose-built however as  the Vietnam War rapidly expanded in scope an   interim solution was needed a civilian plane  the Cessna Sky Master which was commercially   introduced in 1962 would take on this role it  was a low-cost easy to produce aircraft [Music] don't you worry the aircraft is a twin engine  design both engines were piston powered with   one in the nose and the second at the rear of  the fuselage this gave the aircraft a push-pull   configuration providing Centerline thrust this  configuration allowed for simpler operation   than most low Wing mounted twin-engine designs  on light aircraft notably if one engine fails   the aircraft is much easier to control in fact  if the rear engine quit which it sometimes did   a pilot might not immediately notice the design  allowed for a high Wing to be used which provided   an excellent field of view below and behind  the aircraft great visibility is essential for   such aircraft one of the easiest ways to spot a  military variant Sky Master are by The View panels   in the doors for improved ground observation and  the military version also lacks propeller cones   overall modifications were minimal from the  civilian to the military variant civilian seating   was replaced by communication and navigation  equipment some seat armor and flame retardant   was added and propeller Spinners were removed  the aircraft went from 4 400 pounds to 5400   pounds giving it a maximum speed at sea level of  174 knots or 320 kilometers an hour range was 920   nautical miles or 1710 kilometers like the 01 bird  dog hardpoints allowed the O2 to hold Rockets gun   pods or flares the o2b version which was designed  for psychological warfare was equipped with   loudspeakers and a leaflet dispenser O2 Sky Master  Pilots were responsible for directing ground   attack aircraft and bombing missions an important  role not in just eliminating the enemy but   ensuring that bombs don't strike friendly targets  Beyond this skymasters performed search and rescue   and aided in locating downed Airmen they further  flew low over the jungle and attempted to bait the   enemy into firing on them exposing their position  skymasters weren't fast or well armored they never   flew in a straight line and usually flew in  pairs to watch out for one another many Sky   Masters were lost to Small Arms fire out of the  total of 178 lost in the war to all causes [Music] in 1968 the ov10 Bronco began taking over  FAC duties the skymaster would remain in   use particularly as early Broncos had high  levels of cockpit illumination making night   reconnaissance problematic the Bronco was  otherwise Superior in many ways including   having better armor and ejection seats  greatly improving pilot survivability due to the inexpensive design the sky  master has been used throughout the   world by many nations and in many unusual ways the   Mize are flying car combines elements  of the skymaster and a pinto [Music] thank you here's a modern U.S Navy single-engine  skymaster with a multi-spectral targeting system [Music] all right I'm Johnny I hope you  enjoyed this engine sandwich of a video   thank you for watching and  have a nice rest of your day

Channel: Johnny Johnson

Views: 126,918

Keywords: vietnam aircraft, vietnam war air, airwar vietnam, vietnam, fac, forward air control, forward air control aircraft, cessna, o-2, skymaster, sky master, 02 skymaster, o2 skymaster, Cessna O-2 Skymaster, cessna skymaster, johnny johnson, vietnam forward air control, FACs, forward aircontrol vietnam, vietnam air control, vietnam war movie, vietnam war, vietnam war aircraft, vietnam war plane, planes, plane, observatino plane, korean war plane, forward air control plane, vietnam wars

Id: wPay9NQ5Ypo

Length: 5min 26sec (326 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 22 2023