CAF- U-3 "Blue Canoe" served the USAF with many uses.

CAF- Centex's U-3 "Blue Canoe" served the USAF with many uses and helped the CIA win the cold war.

The U-3A began life as the Cessna model 310A (which had gained fame as the "Songbird" flown by Skyler "Sky" King of radio and TV fame) in January of 1953.  The Cessna 310 gained wide acceptance for its good looks and excellent performance, so the USAF decided it would make an excellent replacement for its fleet of aging Beech C-45s in the administrative support, liaison and light cargo duties. Built as a four or five passenger fast executive transport, 546 U-3As were accepted by the United States Air Force.

Originally designed as L-27As, the U-3A served as an executive transport, liaison aircraft and performed as chase planes in a number of units that operated the U-2.  The average fly-away cost for these off-the-shelf commercial aircraft was $56,000.  In 1962, when the Department of Defense implemented the Tri-Service Type Symbol System, the L‑27A  became the U‑3A.   The U‑3A’s 2 six‑cylinder Continental O‑470‑M engines produced 240 horsepower each and  the USAF later retrofitted many A-models with all‑weather gear. 

The distinctive white-over-dark-blue paint scheme of USAF U-3s led to the unofficial, but widely recognized, nickname of "Blue Canoe.” Other services also operated U-3s, with the US Army acquiring 38 from USAF (25 As and 13 Bs) and the Navy acquiring 12 As (eight from USAF, four from the Army). Despite differing paint schemes on Army and Navy aircraft, the U‑3 never lost its nickname of "Blue Canoe.” 

Besides providing staff and administrative support with units around the world, the U-3 served as a test bed for new avionics equipment and conducted military navigational route surveys and certification checks of navigational aids. During the Vietnam War, USAF U‑3s arrived in-country in May 1963 to support the Farm Gate aerial reconnaissance program by transporting film, photographs, and intelligence reports to combat units.

Flying in the C-310 over the Bahamas.

A-3 Aircraft Specifications:

• Wing Span: 36"  • Length: 27'1 "  • Height: 10'5"  • Maximum Speed: 257 M.P.H.  • Service Ceiling: 20,000 Ft.  • Range: 850 Miles  • Crew/Passengers: 2 crew, 3 passengers  • Armament: None  • Engines: 2 x 240 H.P. Continental 10-470-M engines 


Countries known to have operated the U-3  include: Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Indonesia, Iran, Madagascar, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United States (US Air Force  United States Navy & US Army), Venezuela, Uruguay and Zaire.

Learn how the U-3 "Me-Too” Plane. participated in the top Secret Cold War spy program.

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In the 1960's the U-2 and U-3 formation became a common sight over Tucson, and the pairing gained the nickname "U‑2 and Me‑Too.” The U‑3 could intercept a descending U‑2 at 15,000‑18,000 feet. The chase U‑3 always flew on the U‑2’s right wing and discontinued chase ten feet above the runway. In the U-2, recognized as possibly the most difficult airplane to land properly and consistently, every pilot’s first flight was a solo flight. The U-3 was vital in this role.

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