The L-15 Scout was a light and small observation liaison aircraft produced in limited numbers by the Boeing Aircraft Company following World War 2 – only twelve of the type were produced with the United States Army becoming its top operator. The YL-15 requirements included an aircraft that could be quickly dismantled and loaded on a standard 2.5 ton truck.
First flight was achieved on July 13th in 1947 and production spanned from 1947 into 1949.
The all-metal construction L-15 was designed for operations from short runways (STOL) and specifically intended for the light scout observation role. The L-15 was designed at Boeing’s Wichita, Kansas facility.
The aircraft featured a high mounted monoplane wing assembly to which were affixed “flaperons”, wing devices that could double as ailerons and flaps. The two-person crew, made up of the pilot and the observer, sat in a glassed-in nacelle-type fuselage under the main span of the wings. The engine was mounted at the extreme front of the fuselage with the empennage extended out over the rear portion of the aircraft. The tail section had twin vertical tail fins. The undercarriage was a conventional “tail-dragger”, with two main landing gears and a tail wheel. All were fixed and the tail wheel was positioned under the rearward portion of the fuselage nacelle. The aircrafts size made it suitable for transport in a C-97 aircraft, that is once broken down for the journey. Should the mission call for it, the L-15 could also be fitted with twin floats for water landings.
The Scout could be towed as a glider at speeds up to 165 mph without having its airscrew removed.
No firm L-15 Scout contracts were secured. The remaining seven were later employed by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service.
Boeing L-15 Scout
Engines: 1 x Lycoming O-290-7, 125hp.
Length: 25.00ft (7.62m)
Wingspan: 39.99ft (12.19m)
Height: 8.69ft (2.65m)
Empty Weight: 1,512lbs (686kg)
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 2,055lbs (932kg)
Maximum Speed: 112mph (180kmh; 97kts)
Rate-of-Climb: 628ft/min (191m/min)
Service Ceiling: 16,398ft (4,998m)
Accommodation: 2
All Aero 