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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:
Phil DePoy and Walt Wilson

OV-10 AIRCRAFT

In the fall of 1960, two Marine aviators, Major Knowlton P. Rice (known to his friends as "K.P.") and Major Bill Beckett, both of whom were assigned to Marine Air Station El Toro in California, were discussing their concern that the Marines had converted all their attack plane squadrons to jet-powered aircraft. Both felt (based on experience) that the jets had to fly too high and too fast to adequately support troops on the ground. K.P. suggested that he and Bill design a plane that would be more effective in missions supporting their ground troops than their current jets. They agreed that Bill would determine the characteristics of the optimal plane, and K.P. (who had earned an S.M. degree in Aeronautical Engineering at M.I.T.) would design it. When they finished the design, a twin-turboprop aircraft, they decided that they should build a mock-up of the plane in K.P.'s garage. It soon became so large that they had to move it into a corner of a hangar at their base. They worked on the mock-up on weekends and at night until the General of the base decided that they should not be using electricity for something that was not an approved project, so they often worked at nights using lanterns.
When the mock-up was finished, K.P. went to Washington and met with the senior Marine Aviation General to recommend building their plane. The General was irate and told him that the Marines were not going to give up any jets for slower aircraft and that he did not want to hear any more about it! K.P. then went to the Pentagon and met with the senior Navy Aviation Admiral, who had a similar opinion and reported to the Marine General that K.P. had visited him. At another visit with the General, K.P. was again ordered to drop the project. K.P. then asked a friend who worked for the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, to introduce him to the Secretary. K.P. was introduced to the Secretary the next Friday evening. The Secretary was enthusiastic about the plane and said that he would think about it during the weekend and contact K.P. on Monday. Early Monday morning, Secretary McNamara called the Marine Commandant and told him that he wanted K.P. ordered back to Washington immediately to direct the project to build the plane. In his new role, K.P. conducted a competition that was won by North American Rockwell, and the first plane (designated the OV-10) made its first flight in July of 1965.
The OV-10 was produced until 1986 with a total of 360 aircraft built. It was operated by all three U.S. military services in Vietnam and purchased by eight other countries, including Columbia, Germany, Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines, Thailand, Venezuela, and West Germany. It was very successful throughout the war in Vietnam. Among the OV-10's still flying are a number owned by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Bill Beckett died several years ago, and K.P. Rice died on December 25, 2019. As he requested, K.P.'s ashes were scattered at sea. He had not requested it, but a single OV-10 circled overhead as his ashes were scattered into the surf.