I was doing some research on aircraft included in an old photo scrapbook that belonged to a USAAC mechanic in the mid 30's. He was also a photographer, most of the pictures were taken by him. They are mounted in a large album and identified in nice, printed lettering. Except one, it said 'Douglas O-39' but is a O-38. I attached a few pictures of the album, very nice.
ANYWAY, after looking it up, I found a cool story about the O-38, the only survivor, that is displayed at the USAF museum in Dayton. In 1941, an O-38 with a crew of 2 was forced to crash land in the wilderness of Alaska. The crew was unhurt and able to hike out after being dropped supplies. The site was considered too remote to attempt any recovery and it was forgotten.
Then, in 1968, it was 'discovered' during an aerial survey. The museum realized it was the last of some 150 produced and claimed it. A team was sent in to assess the condition and prepare it for removal. It was in excellent condition but was missing the 2 seats and the tail wheel. A Chinook ended up pulling it out for it's trip to the museum in 1970. The restoration work was fairly easy. The seats were found in a frontiersman's cabin being used as chairs, he had also taken the tail wheel thinking he could use it someday.
ANYWAY, after looking it up, I found a cool story about the O-38, the only survivor, that is displayed at the USAF museum in Dayton. In 1941, an O-38 with a crew of 2 was forced to crash land in the wilderness of Alaska. The crew was unhurt and able to hike out after being dropped supplies. The site was considered too remote to attempt any recovery and it was forgotten.
Then, in 1968, it was 'discovered' during an aerial survey. The museum realized it was the last of some 150 produced and claimed it. A team was sent in to assess the condition and prepare it for removal. It was in excellent condition but was missing the 2 seats and the tail wheel. A Chinook ended up pulling it out for it's trip to the museum in 1970. The restoration work was fairly easy. The seats were found in a frontiersman's cabin being used as chairs, he had also taken the tail wheel thinking he could use it someday.
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