Hairyplane surely the Auster was the AOP aircraft of choice because the pilot could actually see what was below him
Every AOP aircraft I can think of (post WW1 and the 30's) has been a high wing design, 0-49 & L4 Cubs, L18 SuperCub, O-1 Bird Dog, 0-2 Push me Pull you (Cessna 336/7).
A story so good it deserves to be true
I heard this story from my Dad who, although he wasn't there, knew a man who was and thus swears it's true;
During WW2, Swansea took quite a pasting from the Luftwaffe Urban Re-development Group. The ex-RFC Wingco of RAF Swansea, which was a training base as I understand it, got a bit irate about his inability to retaliate. One night he had a bright idea. Stooge around at around xx,000' and when the assorted Heinkels, Dorniers and Junkers came to give Swansea docks another pasting, he would swoop on them like an avenging angel.
In a Magister
.
Armed with a Very pistol (flare gun)
.
Must have given the German crews a shock to see Britain's latest secret weapon in action.
Apparently, this ex-WW1 ace actually did this. Is there anybody out there who can confirm this wonderful story or debunk it as apocryphal?