Cessna | ||||||||||||||||||||||
O-1 /
L-19 Birddog
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Photo: Robert Deering 6/15/2013 Denton Municipal Airport (DTO) Denton, Texas |
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The O-1G was a
two-place observation and liaison aircraft
developed from the commercial Cessna Model
170 in 1949. Originally designated L-19s,
Bird Dogs were used by the U.S. Air Force,
Army and Marine Corps for such tasks as
artillery spotting, front-line
communications, medical evacuation and pilot
training. In Southeast Asia, the O-1s became a USAF forward air control aircraft. A forward air controller (FAC), often an experienced fighter pilot, flew in a specific geographical area so that he could readily identify enemy activity. If a controller observed enemy ground targets, he marked them with smoke rockets for attack by fighter-bombers. The FAC remained on the scene to report bombing results. The single-engine O-1 was slow and vulnerable to enemy fire. This, along with its limited range and small payload, led to its eventual replacement by the twin-engine O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco. The USAF ordered more than 3,200 Bird Dogs, most of which were built as L-19As between 1950 and 1959. The O-1G on display was transferred to the museum in 1971. |
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