US Vought OSH2 ''Kingfisher'' Float Plane

By Crusader1307

The most widely used "Float Plane" by American Military Forces during World War II, The Vought built OSH2 was an Observation Plane manufactured in 1938. The aircraft was very popular in The US "Lend-Lense" Program with Britain and Russia. Over 1,500 Planes were produced.  The OSH2 was given the name "Kingfisher" by British Allies, with America still using it's production Contract Number as it's identifier. The "Kingfisher" was a 3-man crewed Craft, that was 34-feet long, with a 36-foot wingspan. Powered by a Pratt-Whitney Engine, the plane could achieve 164-mph with an operational ceiling of 13,000-feet. They could range as far as 800-miles. The were normally armed forces self protection with (2) 7.62mm Machine Guns. The "Kingfisher" could also carry up to 650-pounds of Munitions for specialized missions. Used as a Scout and later Anti-Submarine Attack Plane, they were primarily deployed with Battleships, Heavy and Standard Cruisers. They were mostly Catapult launched. Using a single, under carriage Pontoon ,  The "Kingfisher" had twin Mini-Pontoons mounted under it's wings for additional stabilization. Unlike traditional "Float Planes", she also had Fixed Landing Gear (Tail Draggers), allowing for for limited  (but able to make), land surface touchdowns (if needed). The popular "Kingfisher", saw many variation implemented, including retractable wings. The Model continued on use after The War, until 1959.