The Douglas XO2D-1 was a prototype
American observation
floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
of the 1930s. It was a single engined
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
intended to be launched by
aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to help fixed-wing aircraft gain enough airspeed and lift for takeoff from a limited distance, typically from the deck of a ship. They are usually used on aircraft carrier flight decks as a form of assist ...
from ships of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, but only one was built, the production contract going to
Curtiss for the
SOC Seagull.
Development and design
In 1933, the United States Navy had a requirement to replace its
Vought O3U Corsair as the standard
aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to help fixed-wing aircraft gain enough airspeed and lift for takeoff from a limited distance, typically from the deck of a ship. They are usually used on aircraft carrier flight decks as a form of assist ...
launched observation aircraft aboard US Navy ships, and in June of that year it placed an order for a single example of a design from
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...
, the XO2D-1, together with aircraft from Curtiss (the XO3C-1) and Vought (the
XO5U-1). Douglas's design was a single engined
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
with single-bay wings of
sesquiplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
configuration that folded for shipboard storage. It was of all-metal construction, and housed the crew of two in tandem under an enclosed canopy. It was powered by a
Pratt & Whitney Wasp
The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled, radial piston engines developed in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.
The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler, who had previ ...
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
, and to allow easy operation from land, was fitted with a
tailwheel undercarriage whose twin mainwheels retracted into the single main float.
[Francillon 1979, pp. 176–177.]
It was first flown in March 1934,
[Francillon 1979, p.177.] being tested at
Anacostia
Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast (Washington, D.C.), Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue (formerly Good Hope Road) SE and the neighborhood contains commercial and gover ...
and
Naval Air Station Norfolk. It was rejected in favour of the Curtiss design, which was ordered into production as the
SOC Seagull in March 1935.
After further testing it was withdrawn from use on 13 September 1935.
[Francillon 1979, pp. 177–178.]
Specifications (XO2D-1)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*Francillon, René J. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920''. London:Putnam, 1979. .
{{USN observation aircraft
1930s United States military reconnaissance aircraft
O2D
Floatplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Sesquiplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1934
Amphibious aircraft
Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear
Single-engined piston aircraft