With the adoption of the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, the Army L-19 and Marine Corps OE were redesignated as the O-1 Bird Dog, and soon entered the Vietnam War.

Production of the L-19 (a redesigned Cessna Model 170) began in 1950, and the aircraft were soon in use fighting their first war in Korea from 1950 through 1953.

Winning a U.S. Army contract in 1950 with its Model 305A redesign of the Model 170, Cessna was awarded an initial contract for 418 of the aircraft, which were then designated L-19A, and named …

In 1962 and during America’s early involvement in Vietnam, the Department of Defense standardized aircraft designations, and the L–19 (L for liaison) suddenly became the O–1 (O for observation). …

With the French, it may have served as a reconnaissance aircraft in either the Algerian War of Independence in North Africa or the First Indonesian War in Vietnam. Or it may have flown with …

The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is an all-metal, tandem seat aircraft with downward sloping sides to increase visibility. In 1950, the company began building 2,400 L-19s for the US Army, USAF, Navy …

Jan 22, 2010 · The Cessna L-19 "Bird Dog" was a U.S. Army liaison and observation aircraft, extensively used in the Korean and Vietnam wars, with 3,381 units built by 1963. After military service, the "Bird …

Oct 3, 2025 · Beautiful shot of an L-19 in flight. "Keep your head on a swivel, those buggers in 104s just love diving under us and scaring the hell out of my passengers," Capt. Adams said.

Dec 4, 2017 · Bird Dog’s contributed significantly to the FAC and personnel rescue missions during the Vietnam War. The L-19 was a version of Cessna’s popular Model 170 (C-170) with most of the …

Why is it nicknamed “Bird Dog”? The L-19 received the name Bird Dog as a result of a contest held with Cessna employees to name the aircraft. The winning entry was chosen because the role of the …