The Stinson L-13 (sometimes known as the Grasshopper, like other aircraft of its type) is a US military utility aircraft first flown in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

Development

The aircraft design was developed at Stinson in response to a request from the United States Army Air Force for a light observation/liaison aircraft. At that time Stinson was a subsidiary of Consolidated-Vultee. The first two prototypes were constructed at the Stinson facility in Michigan. In 1948 the Convair board were restructuring their various units, and negotiated to sell the Stinson subsidiary to

Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th cent ...

. The L-13 project was specifically not included in the assets of the sale, however, and Convair continued its production in-house; ultimately building 300 units as the Convair L-13. It was a conventional high-wing

tailwheel Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

used for

observation Observation in the natural sciences is an act or instance of noticing or perceiving and the acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the percep ...

, liaison, and air ambulance duties, which typically require low landing speeds and short landing rolls. It was fitted with a large "greenhouse" to enhance its observation role. Following their military service and resale into the private market, some units were converted for civil

bush flying Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormal ...

use, fitting a

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. ...

by Acme Aircraft Company as the Centaur, while others underwent similar conversions by Caribbean Traders Inc, as the Husky.Wegg 1990, pp. 180-181.

Variants

;XL-13 :Prototype aircraft, powered by 245 hp (183 kW) Franklin O-425-6 engine. Two built.Wegg 1990, p.180. ;L-13A :Production aircraft, powered by 250 hp (187 kW) O-425-9 engine. 300 built. ;L-13B :Conversion of L-13A for cold weather operation, capable of operating from wheels, skis or floats. 28 converted.Harding 1990, p.92. ;Acme Centaur 101 :Conversion of L-13 as six-seat bush aircraft. Powered by 300 hp (224 kW)

Lycoming R-680 The Lycoming R-680 is a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, the first aero engine produced by Lycoming. The engine was produced in two types, the E and B series; both are essentially the same. The B4E was available in a trainer version wi ...

-E3. ;Acme Centaur 102 :Similar to Acme Centaur 101, with a 300hp

Jacobs R-755 The Jacobs R-755 (company designation L-4) is a seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft manufactured in the United States by the Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company. Design and development The R-755 was first run in 1933 and was sti ...

-A2 radial. Convair L-13 N4236Kx VNY 27

;Caribbean Traders Husky I :Civil conversion of L-13A. Retained O-425 engine.''Flight'' 9 September 1955, p. 466. ;Caribbean Traders Husky II :Civil conversion of L-13A. Powered by 300 hp R-680-13 engine on modified engine mount capable of swinging out for easy maintenance. ;Caribbean Traders Husky III :Similar to Husky II, but powered by 450 hp (338 kW) Wright R-975-7 radial engine. ;Servicair Loadmaster :Reconstruction of L-13A with 450 hp

Pratt & Whitney R-985 The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a Engine displacement, displace ...

-AN-1 radial engine and rearranged four-seat cabin.

Operators

; *

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

received 43 ex-Air Force L-13As following the outbreak of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, serving in the Continental United States to free up aircraft for active service overseas.

Surviving aircraft

Brazil

* 47-406 – L-13 on display at the

TAM Museum The TAM Museum (), also known as the Museu Asas de um Sonho (Wings of a Dream Museum), was an aviation museum located from central city São Carlos, and from São Paulo City within the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The museum was the creation of ...

São Carlos, São Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

United States

* 46-159 – L-13A in storage at the

United States Army Aviation Museum The United States Army Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located on Fort Novosel near Daleville, Alabama. It has the largest collection of helicopters held by a museum in the world.Phillips 1992, p. 37.Purner 2004, p. 204. The museum feature ...

Fort Novosel Fort Rucker is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. It was previously name ...

near

Daleville, Alabama Daleville is a city in Dale County, Alabama, Dale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the population was 5,295, up from 4,653 in 2000. It is part of the Dale County, Alabama, Ozark Micropolitan Statistic ...

. * 47-275 – L-13A on display at the

Arkansas Air and Military Museum The Arkansas Air & Military Museum is an aviation and military museum located at Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the largest aviation museum in Arkansas. History The museum was originally established in 1986 as the Arkansas Air Museu ...

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

. * 47-287 – L-13A in storage at the

Castle Air Museum Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located at Castle Airport in Atwater, California. History Establishment The museum was established in November 1979. The same month a B-17 was delivered to the airport. Ground was broken in Decem ...

Atwater, California Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 census was 31,970, up from 28,168 in 2010. Geography Atwater is in north ...

. * 47-316 – L-13A airworthy at the

War Eagles Air Museum War Eagles Air Museum is an aerospace and automotive museum with several exhibits. It is located at Doña Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. History The museum was established by West Texas engineer, rancher and oilm ...

Santa Teresa, New Mexico Santa Teresa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, United States. It is home to the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, although geographically it is considerabl ...

. * 47-355 – L-13 on static display at the

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (formerly the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor) is a non-profit founded in 1999 to develop an aviation museum in Hawaii. Part of Senator Daniel Inouye's vision for a rebirth of Ford Island, the museum hosts a vari ...

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. * 47-394 – L-13A on static display at the

Planes of Fame Air Museum Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum at Chino Airport in Chino, California. History The Air Museum was founded by Edward T. Maloney on January 12, 1957, in Claremont, California, to save historically important aircraft.

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino's surroundings ha ...

. * 47-412 – L-13B airworthy at the

Heritage Flight Museum The Heritage Flight Museum is an aviation museum located at Skagit Regional Airport just west of Burlington, Washington. History The museum was founded by the family of Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders in 1996 and was originally located at B ...

Burlington, Washington Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. Its population was recorded as 9,152 in the 2020 census. Burlington is located approximately halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, Canada. The city is included in the Mount Vernon ...

Specifications (L-13A)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*
Convair Conversion
" ''

Flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

'', 9 September 1955, p. 466.
'' "Plane With Folding Wings Can Be Towed Like A Glider" '', March 1947, Popular Mechanics
rare photos of L-13 folded for towing by jeep * * Harding, Stephen. ''U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947''. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife, 1990. . * Swanborough, F.G. and Bowers, Peter M. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909''. London:Putnam, 1963. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1961–62''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd., 1961. * Wegg, John. ''General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors''. London:Putnam, 1990. . {{USAF liaison aircraft High-wing aircraft L-13, Stinson L-13 Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1945 Convair aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear