| Welcome to the Stinson L-5 Sentinel Data Pages Guide to Serial Numbers and Production Data |
| © James H. Gray Sentinel Owners and Pilots Association |
STINSON L-5 SERIAL NUMBERS
showing total government requisitions of the Sentinel series. The first two digits of the USAAF serial numbers indicate the FISCAL YEAR in which the aircraft were requisitioned, NOT the year of manufacture or delivery. Regardless of the service branch operating it, every aircraft was originally issued a USAAF data plate that was inscribed with a number from within the USAAF list. The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and British. The Lend-Lease aircraft were drawn from within these ranks |
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Army Designation Notes:
original government contract established in December 1941. This designation was dropped in March 1942 when the USAAF officially established the Liaison (L) sub-category of light observation aircraft L-5A: You'll notice that the L-5A is missing from these two lists although serial numbers 42-98036 through 42-99573 were called L-5A's by personnel in the field. The real 'A' model was in fact a 200hp, 24 volt Ranger-powered version that was planned but did not reach production because the engines were unavailable due to other committments by Fairchild, the manufacturer of the Ranger. However, in common usage, the L-5A designation seems to have "stuck" despite official factory and military documentation to the contrary. Therefore, when someone refers to the "L-5A", they are speaking of all but the first 275 "observer" models originally called O-62's L-5D: This designation does not appear in the lists because that model, initially slated for 1,200 deliveries, was cancelled in favor of the Piper L-4. L-5F: A single L-5B, serial number 44-17103, was temporarily modified with a low noise exhaust system and a NACA five bladed propeller for evaluating stealth possibilities and was designated the XL-5F. L-5G: Serial numbers 45-35026 through 45-35801 were allocated to orders for 'G' models that were cancelled at the end of the war. L-5H: A variant that was on the drawing boards when WWII ended. It had a hybrid fuselage halfway between the ambulance version and the original observer version, incorporating all the latest features of the 'G' model. The reason given for the fuselage re-design was that the full bodied ambulance was not as suitable for observation and artillery work due to limited rearward visibility. |
| NAVY AND MARINE CORPS SERIAL NUMBERS: This portion of the page is still under construction. Stop back soon. |
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| BRITISH SERIAL NUMBERS |