In 1940 the Army Air Corps ordered 203 O-52s for observation duties but after the US entry into WWII it was apparent that the Owl lacked the performance necessary for combat operations overseas. As a result, the USAAF relegated the type to internal courier duties and short-range submarine patrols off the US coasts. This example is now on display at the National Museum of the USAF was obtained from the US Federal Reformatory at Chillicothe, OH in 1962 and restored by the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.