At the Jamestown Fly-In & Air Spectacular 2009

Parked at Essendon Airport

Visiting at the Jamestown Fly-In & Air Spectacular 2009

The O-1 was developed from the commercial Cessna Model 170 (originally designated L-19s) and were used by the USAF, Army and Marine Corps for such tasks as artillery spotting, front-line comms, medivac and pilot training. In SE Asia they were also deployed on FAC duties but they were slow, lacking range and proved vunerable to ground fire. This led eventually to their replacement with O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco. This Bird Dog came to the National Museum of the USAF for display in 1971.

This Bird Dog was built in 1952 to a 1951 USAF order and allocated the serial 51-12134. This was later represented as 0-12134 when the aircraft became more than 10 years old. This aircraft is thought to have gone to the Royal Thai Air Force, and from there to Australia. It was registered in Australia on 15 January 1997 and is currently, appropriately, VH-FAC(5). Seen here airborne for a display at the Houdini-Centenary Air Show.

This beautifully restored Bird Dog even has the smoke marker rocket tubes beneath its wings. Originally USAF 51-12471. Although registered in Australia on 17 December 1996, this Bird Dog was imported in 1989 from Vietnam. Its restoration started in 1992 and took 9 years - it's very original and in magnificent condition in these colourful South Vietnamese Air Force markings. Short final at the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia's Auster Rally.

Originally built as an L-19A-CE at Cessna's Pawnee plant, cn 21546, to a 1951 order as 51-11976, this aircraft saw service with the US Army, then the USAF in Vietnam, then the South Vietnamese Air Force. Recovered from Vietnam by the late Col Pay & associates. Acquired and restored to its accurate Vietnam war colour scheme as flown by Maj James Kidder & Lt Col Charles Morrison with 19th TASS by Randal MacFarlane at Archerfield, it was first registered as VH-XVB on 7 May 1992.

A well-known aviation magazine Editor heading home from the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia's National Fly-in.

Lindsay McKee taxies his Point Cook-based Bird Dog for home. This aircraft was built in 1952 to a 1951 USAF order and allocated the serial 51-12134. This was later represented as 0-12134 when the aircraft became more than 10 years old. The aircraft is thought to have gone to the Royal Thai Air Force, and from there to Australia. It was registered in Australia on 15 January 1997 and is currently, VH-FAC(5).

This beautifully restored Bird Dog even has the smoke marker rocket tubes beneath its wings. It's painted in attractive South Vietnamese Air Force markings. Originally USAF 51-12471.

This beautifully restored Bird Dog even has the smoke marker rocket tubes beneath its wings. Originally USAF 51-12471. Although registered in Australia on 17 December 1996, this Bird Dog was imported in 1989 from Vietnam. It's restoration started in 1992 and took 9 years - it's very original and in magnificent condition in these colourful South Vietnamese Air Force markings.

This Bird Dog was built in 1952 as an L-19A-CE (model 305A), USAF serial 51-5019. Later converted to O-1G FAC standard with, unusually, a constant-speed prop. To Royal Thai AF as 60402. Later to Australia VH-LKB on 11 December 1991. More recently it has adopted the very famous registration VH-UXX.

Nestling among the trees at the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia's National Fly-in.