Cessna Bird Dog

Cessna Bird Dog
Type:	Light aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Cessna
First flight:	December 14, 1949
Production time:	1950-1963
Number of pieces:	> 3400

The Cessna Bird Dog (military name Cessna L-19 , from 1962 Cessna O-1 , also Cessna 305 ) is a light aircraft made by the American manufacturer Cessna , which was used by the United States Air Force , the Army and the Marines . The model emerged as the winner of a tender for light single-engine reconnaissance aircraft from 1950. The first aircraft were delivered to the army under the designation Cessna 305A and soon afterwards were renamed L-19 (L for "Liaison", in German: "Connection").

development

In 1949 the US armed forces were looking for a robust liaison and observation aircraft. Cessna designed then the 305 a classic wing aircraft in all-metal construction . The wings were taken over from the Cessna 170 and the rear from the Cessna 195 . A Continental O-470-11 with 213 hp was installed in the newly designed fuselage and the wings were upgraded with flaps that can be extended to 60 ° to improve slow flight and short take -off properties .

The concept convinced the military and in 1950 Cessna received the order for an initial 418 units.

The early versions had a Continental motor with 216 hp and a rigid propeller, from 1956 a trainer version with the designation TL-19D with a controllable pitch propeller was delivered. Of the total of 2,486 L-19A built, 66 were delivered to the US Marine Corps (USMC). These machines were given the designation OE-1 (after 1962 O-1B). As OE-2 (after 1962 O-1C) a further developed version was designated by the USMC, which used the wings of the Cessna 180 and a Continental O-470-2.

The last version (L-19E, after 1962 O-1E) of which 469 copies were built, had a 265 hp engine with a controllable pitch propeller and electrically operated landing flaps. Armor under both seats and a self-sealing fuel tank system were also included. The US Department of Defense ordered 3,400 L-19s, which were built between 1950 and 1962.

Types of use

A USAF O-1A used in the 1960s during the Vietnam War

The machines were used in various roles, such as artillery observation, courier service, frontline communication, search and rescue and training. In the Korean War and the Vietnam War , the L-19 was used as a reconnaissance aircraft and for forward air control .

Naming

The nickname Bird Dog was the result of a competition within the Cessna company . The winner was Jack A. Swayze, an industrial photographer. The name is English for chicken dog and should express the operational capability as a reconnaissance aircraft as well as the reliability and good nature of the model.

When the Army changed the designation system in 1962, the L-19A, TL-19D and L-19E were renamed O-1A, TO-1D and O-1E. The US Navy's OE-1 became O-1B, the OE-2 with the more powerful 265 hp engine became O-1C. From 1966, the O-1s were gradually replaced by the Cessna O-2 Skymaster.

distribution

The pattern was used in the following countries except the USA (alphabetically):

• Chile, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Canada, Malta, Austria, Pakistan, South Korea, South Vietnam, Thailand,

production

As part of the Mutual Defense Aid Program (MDAP), the Cessna Bird Dog was also delivered to allied countries.

Approval of the Cessna Bird Dog by the USAF / US Marine Corps / US Army / Ground National Guard:

version	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	TOTAL
L-19A Army	15th	954	418	301	192					1,880
L-19A GNG		194	251	64	11					520
L-19A USAF				20th						20th
L-19A MDAP			3	3						6th
XL-19B USAF				1						1
XL-19C USAF						2				2
TL-19D Army							100		210	310
L-19E Army							19th	287		306
L-19E MDAP								60		60
OE-1		30th	17th	13						60
OE-2						25th				25th
TOTAL	15th	1,372	940	466	211	27	119	347	210	3,187

Military users

Landing of a South Vietnamese O-1 aboard USS Midway (CV-41) during the 1975 evacuation of Saigon.

•  Australia
•  Chile
•  France
•  Indonesia
•  Italy
•  Japan
•  Canada
•  Laos
•  Malta
•  Norway
•  Austria : 22 from 1959 to 1997
•  Pakistan
•  Philippines
•  Taiwan
•  South Vietnam
•  Spain
•  South Korea
•  Thailand
•  United States

United States Air Force

United States Army

United States Marine Corps

•  Vietnam : captured from South Vietnam

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data (OE-2 = O-1C)
crew	A pilot (+ an observer)
length	7.83 m
span	10.97 m
height	2.77 m
Wing area	16.17 m²
Wing profile	NACA 2412
Empty mass	830 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	1,202 kg
Top speed	293 km / h (at an altitude of 3,048 meters)
Service ceiling	7,924 m (27,800 ft)
Range	Max. 500 km
Engines	Continental O-470-2

Museum reception

• A Cessna L-19E Bird Dog of the Austrian Armed Forces is on display in the military aviation exhibition Zeltweg in Hangar 8 of the Hinterstoisser Air Base , a branch of the Vienna Military History Museum .

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Cessna L-19 Bird Dog  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• L-19 at "Warbird Alley" (eng)
• Aircraft data sheet: O-1C (Navair Publication, eng) (PDF file; 407 kB)
• Photo documentation of the L-19

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Cessna's off-road vehicle. L-19 Bird Dog. In: aerokurier.de. Retrieved February 1, 2012 . 
2. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1949, p. 164 f .; 1951, p. 158; 1952, p. 158; 1953, p. 185 f .; 1954, pp. 70 f .; 1955, p. 80 f .; 1956, p. 91 f .; 1957, p. 97 f .; 1958
3. ↑ Doppeladler.com
4. ↑ Standard Aircraft Characteristics Model O-1C (NAVAIR 00-110A01-1), published by direction of the Commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, available online (PDF, 407 kB) , accessed on February 1, 2012
5. ↑ on doppeladler.com , accessed on September 10, 2013