Aeronca L-3 “Grasshopper”

Aeronca L-3 “Grasshopper”. . Though not used in connection with the D-Day landing in France, the restored L-3 "Grasshopper" (thus nicknamed for its similarity to the insect) displayed here does bear the variegated markings of the Allied Air Forces. Alluded to in the granite blocks topping the Overlord Arch, those markings told ground gunners the aircraft bearing them were friendly. Used during the Normandy campaign as a light observation aircraft for a range of missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, and the adjustment of artillery fire, the L-3 could carry two people at a cruising speed of 75 mph. If its canvas covering offered scant protection to those in the aircraft, the L-3’s ability to fly on as projectiles passed through it was an offsetting advantage. The three propeller blades from a C-46, the aircraft used for both troop transport and gilder deliver, are the other component in this modest, temporary acknowledgment of the Allied Air Forces on D-Day. , , Rucker Tibbs and his colleagues at the New London Airport lovingly restored the L-3, which Morton Lester of Martinsville, Virginia, donated to the Memorial. The Fantasy of Flight Museum, Polk City Florida generously donated the C-46 propeller blades.