It takes the army’s new slow-flying observation plane just fifty feet to get into the air, and it can land and roll to a stop in 100 feet. Nicknamed the “dragonfly” for its appearance, the YO-51 is made highly maneuverable by special flaps and slots, and on test flights it is understood to have landed at only twenty-eight miles an hour. Top speed is under 140 miles an hour. The two-seat monoplane was designed for landing in small areas and for infantry liaison service. Its wingspread is fifty feet, and it is driven by a 420-horsepower engine. Officers of the Ryan company, its builders, say the plane can hover at a standstill in a slight wind.