Cessna O-1E Birddog
To replace its fleet of L-4 Grasshoppers used during World War II, the US Army selected a modified version of the civilian Cessna 170. The Army needed an all-metal aircraft with good visibility, and the Cessna 170 fit the bill. Cessna added bulged windows to the sides and additional ones to the rear and top of the wing. Designated L-19 Birddog, the first entered service in 1950.
Eventually over 3000 L-19s--redesignated O-1 in 1962--would serve with all branches of the armed forces, namely in the forward air control and artillery spotting role. It was especially valuable in Korea and Vietnam, though it was used far more in the latter, as it was reliable, quiet, and could operate from virtually anywhere. Some were even armed as "emergency gunships," though this was discouraged. FACs and observation pilots paid the price, as well--no single type of aircraft suffered more losses than O-1s, because their role required them to fly low and slow; it was also easy to shoot one down. (Captain Hiliard Wilbanks was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for covering a trapped US Army Special Forces team with his lightly armed O-1 in 1967. ) So popular was the O-1 that it was never quite replaced completely by the O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco in Vietnam; the last Birddog left US service in 1974.
Built as L-19E 52-4558 for the USAF, this aircraft was later redesignated as an O-1E in 1962. It is unknown if it saw service in Vietnam. 52-4558 was declared surplus in the early 1970s, and by 1982, was in the hands of a warbird collector in Texas. It was restored to its Vietnam appearance, and in 2013, moved to the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg, Idaho. It was badly damaged in a nonfatal landing accident at Rexburg in 2017, but has since been restored back to flyable condition.
52-4558 is configured as an O-1 FAC during Vietnam, with four spotter rockets under the wings; the overall gray finish actually proved to be better than camouflage, as there was no air threat over South Vietnam, and the gray did not show up as well against the often rainy skies of Southeast Asia as camouflage did. This view gives a good idea of the excellent visibility from the Birddog.
It's also not the greatest photo in the world, and this was just a case of me moving at the wrong time; the Legacy Flight Museum is neither crowded nor poorly lighted.
Cessna O-1E Birddog
To replace its fleet of L-4 Grasshoppers used during World War II, the US Army selected a modified version of the civilian Cessna 170. The Army needed an all-metal aircraft with good visibility, and the Cessna 170 fit the bill. Cessna added bulged windows to the sides and additional ones to the rear and top of the wing. Designated L-19 Birddog, the first entered service in 1950.
Eventually over 3000 L-19s--redesignated O-1 in 1962--would serve with all branches of the armed forces, namely in the forward air control and artillery spotting role. It was especially valuable in Korea and Vietnam, though it was used far more in the latter, as it was reliable, quiet, and could operate from virtually anywhere. Some were even armed as "emergency gunships," though this was discouraged. FACs and observation pilots paid the price, as well--no single type of aircraft suffered more losses than O-1s, because their role required them to fly low and slow; it was also easy to shoot one down. (Captain Hiliard Wilbanks was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for covering a trapped US Army Special Forces team with his lightly armed O-1 in 1967. ) So popular was the O-1 that it was never quite replaced completely by the O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco in Vietnam; the last Birddog left US service in 1974.
Built as L-19E 52-4558 for the USAF, this aircraft was later redesignated as an O-1E in 1962. It is unknown if it saw service in Vietnam. 52-4558 was declared surplus in the early 1970s, and by 1982, was in the hands of a warbird collector in Texas. It was restored to its Vietnam appearance, and in 2013, moved to the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg, Idaho. It was badly damaged in a nonfatal landing accident at Rexburg in 2017, but has since been restored back to flyable condition.
52-4558 is configured as an O-1 FAC during Vietnam, with four spotter rockets under the wings; the overall gray finish actually proved to be better than camouflage, as there was no air threat over South Vietnam, and the gray did not show up as well against the often rainy skies of Southeast Asia as camouflage did. This view gives a good idea of the excellent visibility from the Birddog.
It's also not the greatest photo in the world, and this was just a case of me moving at the wrong time; the Legacy Flight Museum is neither crowded nor poorly lighted.