World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseWhen the United States entered WW2, the demand for aircraft of all kinds heightened. As a result, Stinson Aircraft Company redesigned their civilian aircraft Model 105 Voyager into a military version, and re-designated it the L-5 Sentinel, for service with the United States Army. They were constructed from steel tubing and plywood, then covered with doped cotton fabric. They originally served as liaison or observation aircraft, but variants since L-5B had enough space to carry one wounded patient for evacuation to rear hospitals. The US Navy and Marine Corps used them as well, under the designations OY-1 and OY-2. The British purchased 100 L-5 Sentinel aircraft from the US during the war, and operated them under the designation Sentinel I (L-5) and Sentinel II (L-5B). Between Oct 1942 and Sep 1945, 3,590 were built. After the war, L-5 Sentinel aircraft were sold to the civilian market as surplus, with many of them being used in search and rescue missions.

SPECIFICATIONS

L-5

Machinery	One Lycoming O-435-1 engine rated at 185hp
Crew	2
Span	10.36 m
Length	7.34 m
Height	2.41 m
Wing Area	14.40 m²
Weight, Empty	702 kg
Weight, Loaded	916 kg
Weight, Maximum	929 kg
Speed, Maximum	209 km/h
Speed, Cruising	144 km/h
Service Ceiling	4,815 m
Range, Normal	676 km

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