by ANN Correspondent John Dorcey

The warbird area is a "must see" for most AirVenture participants. Veterans, history buffs, dads with kids in tow, and the curious all gravitate to the north end of the AirVenture grounds. This area, like most of the facility, has changed over the years. Today, visitors will find a greater variety of aircraft and more displays that are educational.

Ed Finnegan, American Wings Air Museum, provided the history on this aircraft. Grumman built serial number 64-14262 in 1964 as an OV-1B. The aircraft was later modified into a relatively rare RV-1D; 36 RV-1Ds were created. The mission of the RV-1 was tactical electronic reconnaissance or ELectronic INTelligence (ELINT). The aircraft's systems could detect emitters in day, night, and all weather conditions. The aircraft also carried Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) sensor pods.

While not known for its clean, aerodynamic lines, Ed said, "The aircraft's performance is hidden by its appearance." Fully aerobatic, the airplane has a max speed of 305 knots and a stall speed of 80 knots. The aircraft is powered by two Lycoming T-53 turboprop engines each putting out 1,400 horsepower.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 48 feet and a length of just over 44 feet. The aircraft's empty weight is 11,757 pounds, and a max gross of 18,500 pounds. Two drop tanks of 150 gallons each and internal capacity of 297 gallons provides a range of just over 1100 miles. A crew of two flew the aircraft and operated its myriad of systems.

Finnegan has 1500 hours in the Mohawk as both an Army aviator and flying for American Wings Air Museum. When not flying the Mohawk, Ed flies the Boeing 757 and 767 for American Airlines. "Education is what we are about, Vietnam is ancient history for kids today," Finnegan said. "This is not a show plane, it is a combat aircraft."

The first Mohawk, the YAO-1AF, first flew on April 14, 1959. Deliveries of the
OV-1A began in February 1961; total production run included 380 aircraft. The US Army flew its last Mohawk mission in September 1996.

FMI: www.ov1mohawk.org, www.americanwings.com