Between 1931 and 1934,Douglas built 156 O-38s for the Air Corps, eight of which were O-38Fs. Some were still in service at the time of thePearl Harbor Attack in 1941.
The O-38 is a modernized derivative of the O-25, itself a re-engined variant of the earlierDouglas O-2.
derivative of the O-38 with anR-1690-5 engine; total production was 63, comprising 30 forUSAAC observation squadrons and 33 for theNational Guard
O-38C
single aircraft similar to the O-38B for use byUS Coast Guard
O-38E
O-38E
model with a wider and deeper fuselage on the lines of the private-venture O-38S, with a sliding canopy over the cockpits and a 625-hp (466-kW)R-1690-13 radial engine driving a metal propeller; could be operated on twinEdo floats; theNational Guard took delivery of 37 such aircraft
O-38F
eight unarmed staff liaison aircraft delivered to theNational Guard in 1933 with anR-1690-9 engine and a revised, fully enclosed canopy
O-38P
Almost identical to the E/F series. Six aircraft delivered to Perú in February 1933, fitted withEdo floats; Three took part in the conflict against Colombia, and took part in air combats against ColombianCurtiss Hawk IIs, one being lost as consequence of damage received during those clashes. Survivors were converted to wheels, and served as trainers until 1940.
O-38S
private-venture development of the O-38 with a wider and deeper fuselage, crew canopy and a smooth-cowled 575 hp (429 kW)Wright R-1820-E Cyclone radial engine; in effect was the prototype of the O-38E
A-6
proposed use of the O-38 as a radio-controlled target drone (cancelled)
O-38F on display at the National Museum of the USAF
The sole surviving example of an O-38 is on display at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force atWright-Patterson AFB nearDayton, Ohio.[1] For several decades it was believed that no examples of this aircraft survived, until the wreckage of an O-38F was located in Alaska in the late 1960s. This aircraft was the first airplane to land atLadd Field nearFairbanks, Alaska, in October 1940. It had gone down on 16 June 1941 as a result of engine failure, and made a soft landing in the Alaskan wilderness about 70 miles (110 km) southeast ofFairbanks. Both crewmen, pilot Lt. Milton H. Ashkins and mechanic Sgt. R. A. Roberts survived the landing unhurt, and hiked to safety after supplies were dropped to them, but the aircraft's location was considered too remote for it to be salvaged. The wreckage was eventually rediscovered nearly thirty years later during an aerial survey of the area, and the plane's type was soon identified. The staff of the Air Force Museum recognized it as the last surviving example, and quickly assembled a team to examine the aircraft for possible retrieval and restoration. Upon arriving at the crash site they found the aircraft surprisingly well preserved, with only the two seats and the tailwheel missing. The team was even able to light their campfires using the aircraft's remaining fuel. Plans were soon made to remove the aircraft by aCH-47 Chinook helicopter fromFort Greeley on 10 June 1968,[2] and it was transported back toDayton, Ohio.
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