Mike Midkiff

THE BIG STATELY biplane reached its peak when a Douglas O-2K airframe was married to the 525 hp P&W Hornet radial engine. After a few hours of rigorous flight testing, the Air Corps was sufficiently impressed to place an initial order for 46 airplanes. The only flight problems encountered was longitudinal instability from power on to power off. This was eliminated by increasing the stagger between top and bottom wings. All of the O-38's were purchased for National Guard use because of their ease of flying. The airplane was very forgiving and yet maneuverable enough to delight an experienced pilot. They were big airplanes yet quite agile and easy to maintain. When trimmed, the airplane would fly hands off for hours.