Restoration

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Specifications

Manufacturer:	Cessna
Year/Model:	1951 O-1A Bird Dog (Originally an L-19A, redesignated to O-1A in 1962
S/N:	51-7312
Tail Number:	O-17312
TC/n (msn):	22046
Crew:	2
Power Plant:	Continental O-470-11, 213 hp
Wingspan:	36 feet
Length:	25 feet 9 inches
Height:	7 feet 3 inches
Gross Weight:	1,614 pounds empty, 2,400 loaded
Maximum Speed:	130 mph
Maximum Range:	529 statute miles
Service Ceiling:	20,300 feet
Status:	Static Display
Owner:	Estrella Warbirds Museum

U-6A in Flight

History

This aircraft was last on display at the Camp San Luis, California Air National Guard. Transferred to Estrella Warbirds Museum, at the end of 2024.

In 1949 the US Army and US Air Force jointly issued a specification for an all-metal aircraft to replace their existing inventory of Piper L-4 and Stinson L-5 aircraft. The new aircraft had to be capable of landing and taking off on short, unimproved airfields and had to be able to perform a variety of tasks, including observation, rescue, photo-reconnaissance, and artillery fire control. It also had to be adaptable to ski and float operations. Piper, TEMCO, Taylorcraft, and Cessna competed for the contract. Cessna built a new aircraft for the competition, the Model 305. It won the competition and in 1950 received an order for 418 aircraft to be given the designation L-19A (“L” for liaison).

In 1962 the aircraft was redesignated as O-1 (“O” for observation). The aircraft received the name “Bird Dog” as a result of a naming contest among Cessna employees. The winning entry was selected by a US Army board. The name was selected because the aircraft’s role was analogous to that of a bird dog used by hunters, i.e., to locate the enemy and remain on target until artillery and/or air power can be used.

The L-19A was the first all metal, high wing, single-engine aircraft to be used by the US Army. It had dual controls for the pilot and observer. The sides of the aircraft were sloped to improve visibility, and the almost 360-degree visibility form the cockpit made it ideal for observation, control, and reconnaissance. During the Korean War, the Bird Dog was affectionately given the name “the jeep with wings”. During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force used Bird Dogs for forward air control. A Bird Dog would locate and identify a target while attack aircraft waited high overhead. The Bird Dog used phosphorous rockets to identify the target to the attack aircraft. After the attack the Bird Dog would remain on scene to report the results. Enemy troops rightly feared the arrival of the Bird Dog.