Page 14 - February 2016

Mohawk MemoriesIn the mid-1950s, the U.S. Army contracted with Grumman Aircraft to develop a light turboprop observation and support airplane, one capable of operating out of rough forward airstrips yet fast and agile enough to evade the enemy’s countermeasures. The outcome was called the OV-1A Mohawk, in keeping with the Army’s use of native names for its aircraft. The Mohawk’s first flight was on April 14, 1959, entering service in early 1961; production ended in December of 1970, after about 375 were built. It continued in service as late as 1992. Originally the AO-1, for its planned dual attack and observation role, it became the OV-1 after the Air Force took over what it considered to be its missions of fixed-wing ground attack support and transport.The Mohawk served in Southeast Asia, Europe, Korea and the Middle East, living with the troops and bringing back vital intelligence for battlefield commanders. In talking with veterans who flew the Mohawks, we gained a lot of respect for the little turbine twin. Citation jet owner Joe Masessa, a Florida-based dermatologist, flies a restored OV-1D in airshows and kindly shared his experiences.The Mohawk was initially designed with a T-tail empennage, using 960 or 1,005-hp Lycoming T-53-L-3 free-turbine powerplants. Early redesign brought a change to a three-rudder tail in the 1959 YO-1A service- test version. The aircraft’s 42-foot wingspan, leading- edge slats (in A models) and large flaps enabled a 59-knot stalling speed. The crew was housed in a side-by-side cockpit, normally with a technical operator sitting beside the pilot to run the onboard equipment.12 • TWIN & TURBINEOriginally, the A-model had panoramic film cameras, plus capability for carrying underwing armament consisting of rocket and machine gun pods, or even 5-inch Zuni rockets, at considerable annoyance to the Air Force; in 1965, the Pentagon directed that the U.S. Army would not operate armed fixed-wing aircraft.The unarmed OV-1B had SLAR (side-looking airborne radar) in a long pod under the right side of the fuselage, and the wingspan was lengthened to 48 feet, without slats or dive brakes. The OV-1C had infrared sensing and two cameras, a 70mm-format fixed nose camera and a 180-degree panning camera located aft. The final version, the OV-1D, was convertible from SLAR to camera configurations. SLAR missions were commonly flown at 7,000 feet AGL, while the infrared cameras were utilized at 1,500 feet or so. In its final form, the OV-1’s engines were upgraded to 1,450-hp T-53-701 versions. Initially, maximum weight was 15,031 pounds, increasing to 18,109 pounds in the OV-1D. Fuel was carried in a 297-gallon centerline tank in the fuselage; added tanks of 150 gallon capacity could be mounted under the wings.Veteran’s RecollectionsAccording to retired Major George Davis, who flew a tour in Vietnam in 1972, then spent three years at Ft. Hood, Texas before assignment to Korea to command a Mohawk company near the DMZ, the OV-1 was great airplane, once it had achieved 120 knots after takeoff, where single-engine flight was survivable. The ejection seats were not quite capable of ground-level/zero-speed extraction. Normal cruise was 240 knots, and Vne inby LeRoy CookFEBRUARY 2016