The O-2's Most Dangerous Mission in Vietnam The Cessna O-2 Skymaster wasn’t a fighter, but in Vietnam, Forward Air Controllers (FACs) often had to act like one. Flying low and slow, O-2 crews used 2.75-inch white phosphorus (“Willy Pete”) rockets to mark enemy positions for fast movers and helicopter gunships. When air support wasn’t available, some FACs made repeated passes themselves, sometimes firing, sometimes deliberately not, to draw fire away from troops on the ground. The goal was to abs

Cessna O-2 Skymaster Taxi | Aero Admirers

The Cessna O-2 Skymaster flew some of the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam War. As a Forward Air Control aircraft, the O-2 marked enemy positions with smoke rockets, directed strike aircraft, and coordinated search-and-rescue efforts, often flying low and slow over hostile terrain. Art Elser describes one mission in the A Shau Valley, where a round tore through the side of the aircraft and into the cockpit. The pilot in the left seat was wearing the squadron’s only ceramic helmet. It absor

Usually parked in Hangar 79, this Cessna O-2A Skymaster is out in front of the Ford Island Operations Building this weekend only ✈️ Flown during the Vietnam War for observation and forward air control, this aircraft is part of the legacy of Col. Robert “Bob” Szul, a decorated combat veteran and longtime Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum volunteer 🇺🇸 Plan your visit this weekend! 🎟️ Book tickets — link in bio | Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

In late 1966 the U.S. Air Force selected a military variant of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster, designated the O-2, to supplement the O-1 Bird Dog forward air controller (FAC) aircraft then operating in Southeast Asia. Distinguished by twin tail booms and tandem-mounted engines, it featured a tractor-pusher propeller arrangement. Having twin engines enabled the O-2 to absorb more ground fire and still return safely, endearing it to its crews. The O-2 first flew in January 1967, and producti