VINTAGE FLYING MACHINES
FLYING MUSEUM
L-19 Bird Dog
The L-19 is a liaison and observation aircraft that first flew on December 14, 1949, and entered service in 1950 in time for the Korean War. The U.S. Army was searching for an aircraft that could fly over enemy locations to collect information related to artillery fire target locations and distances, as well as perform liaison duties, and
preferably be constructed of all metal, as the fabric-covered liaison aircraft used during World War II
(primarily Stinson and Piper products) had short service lives. After
the specification for a two-seat liaison and observation monoplane was issued,the Cessna Aircraft Company submitted the Cessna Model 305A, a development ofthe Cessna 170. The Cessna 305A was a single-engine, lightweight, strut-braced, high-wing monoplane with a tailwheel landing gear.
The U.S. Army awarded a contract to Cessna for 418 of the aircraft, which was designated the L-19A. Vintage Flying Machines L-19A served with the 24 th Infantry Division in Korea and logged over 1500 combat hours. Evidence of airframe damage from enemy fire is still evident on the airframe. Following the end of the Korean War,
the US Army disposed of most of their L-19 aircraft in Korea to the Japanese Self Defense Force. VFM’s aircraft continued to serve with the JSDF until 1976. Since the aircraft had been supplied under a military assistance program it was returned to the United States where it was obtained by an aviation training program in Wisconsin. In 1994 the school deemed the aircraft surplus, and it was sold and returned to flying condition. The airplane largely still wears its original Japanese paint and represents a unique period of this L-19s history.