Stinson L-5 Sentinel "Nuts To You"

The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was derived from the pre-war Stinson Model 105 Voyager. In 1941, the Army Air Corps purchased six Voyagers from Vultee Aircraft (which had acquired Stinson in 1940) for testing. By the time World War II broke out, liaison/observation aircraft had become a highly specialized group. The Army ordered the 105 model in quantity, designating it first as the O-62 ("O" for Observation), and subsequently as the L-5 when the type designation was changed, in 1942, to indicate "Liaison" aircraft. With short field takeoff and landing capabilities, and the ability to operate from unimproved forward airstrips, the two-crew L-5s were used during World War II for reconnaissance; delivering supplies to, and evacuating litter patients from, isolated units; rescuing Allied personnel from remote areas; laying of communications wire; transporting of personnel; and -- on occasion -- as a light bomber. Nicknamed "the Flying Jeep," the L-5 demonstrated amazing versatility, even landing and taking off from tree-top platforms constructed above a thick Burmese jungle which could not be cleared for more conventional airstrips. When the craft was produced specifically for the air ambulance role, its structure was enlarged and an additional door was added to accommodate stretchers (L-5B through L-5G). After WWII, the Sentinel served with distinction in the Korean War and continued in active service with the USAF until at least 1955, with some units still on the rolls until 1962 when the L-5G (the final variant) designation was changed to the Air Force's U-19B, while the Army's remaining L-5's were reclassified as U-19As. Limited Edition. Signed and Numbered by the Artist. See More...