Rare Douglas O-43 US Army Air Corps Observation Monoplane Photo 3.5x4.5 For Sale

Rare Douglas O-43 US Army Air Corps
Observation Monoplane Photo 3.5x4.5
One of Just 28 Built for USAAC Ground ReconnaissanceDESCRIPTIONOriginal vintage photograph of a Douglas O-43 observation monoplane of the United States Army Air Corps, parked on a grass airfield with the pilot visible at the controls in the open cockpit and a ground crew member seated near the tail in the background. The O-43 was built in genuinely tiny numbers, just 28 aircraft total between the five Y1O-43 service-test examples and the twenty-three production O-43As that followed, making surviving photographs of this type uncommon on the market. It\'s easy to identify once you know the shape: a parasol wing mounted well above the fuselage on struts, a fully enclosed canopy covering both the pilot and observer, and the long, slim nose of a liquid-cooled Curtiss Conqueror V-12 engine rather than the round cowling of a radial. Developed from the earlier Douglas O-31, the O-43 entered Army service in the early 1930s and flew with observation squadrons for several years before many airframes were handed down to National Guard units later in the decade. This example carries the number \"4\" on the rudder along with a painted squadron emblem on the fuselage and black and white rudder stripes, though the specific squadron has not been conclusively identified from the print. The O-43\'s own service life was short. Its inline Conqueror engine proved to be a maintenance headache next to the air-cooled radials the rest of the Army was standardizing on, and Douglas answered with the radial-powered O-46 within a couple of years, a lineage you can still trace today at the National Museum of the US Air Force, where the O-46 that descended from this very airframe is preserved. Images were scanned at 600dpi to preserve every detail for close inspection.Every effort is made for fact-checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you\'re unsatisfied with the item, please reach out and I\'ll make it right. Orders placed before noon CDT ship same-day via Ground Advantage with tracking, so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments, sealed and protected in acid-free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONExcellent for its age. Sharp period photograph with good overall contrast and only the light softness typical of a period field print rather than a modern glossy finish. Straight, uncut edges with no tears, no creases running through the image, and no writing or damage on the front. The reverse is blank, with light overall toning and a few small scattered age spots but no stamps, captions, or handling notes. No pinholes or mounting residue. Measures approximately 3.5 x 4.5 inches.