How many o 1 Bird Dogs were shot down in Vietnam?

How many o 1 Bird Dogs were shot down in Vietnam?

469 O-1 Bird Dogs
During the course of the Vietnam War, 469 O-1 Bird Dogs were lost to all causes. The USAF lost 178, the USMC lost 7, and 284 were lost from the U.S. Army, RVNAF, and clandestine operators.

What was the Cessna Bird Dog used for?

The Cessna L-19 “Bird Dog” was a relatively simple, strut-braced, high-wing, single-engine aircraft mainly used by American forces in the observation and Forward Air Control mission. Bird Dog’s contributed significantly to the FAC and personnel rescue missions during the Vietnam War.

What is a bird dog aircraft?

The Cessna L-19 Birddog was developed in 1950 from the Cessna 170 4-place, civilian light aircraft, by fitting a more powerful 213 hp Continental 6 engine to it. In 1973, the L-19 Birddog was retired and replaced with the Bell Kiowa helicopter.

What happened to Major Buang ly?

The Bird Dog Buang-Ly flew that day now hangs at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Chambers kept his job as the aircraft carrier’s captain and was later promoted to rear admiral; he retired in 1984.

Has a private plane ever landed on an aircraft carrier?

There are definite cases of light civilian aircraft landing on a carrier, the most well known was in April 1975 when South Vietnamese Air Force Major Buang Lee landed an O-1 Bird Dog on the deck of the USS Midway trying to escape with his wife and 5 children from the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces.

Who is Buang ly?

Buang-Ly stole a tiny two-seat airplane. He helped his wife and their five children, ages 14 months to 6 years, into the backseat and storage area before climbing into the pilot’s seat. They took off and headed out to sea while enemy ground fire zipped past them.

Can you land a Hercules on an aircraft carrier?

From the accumulated test data, the Navy concluded that with the C-130 Hercules, it would be possible to lift 25,000 pounds of cargo 2,500 miles and land it on a carrier.

Can a Hercules takeoff from an aircraft carrier?

An air-to-air left front view of an AC-130 Hercules aircraft during target practice. The Hercules could fly 2,500 miles with a 25,000 lb payload and successfully land. After a short training period, he was able to achieve the incredible feat of successfully landing and taking off from the aircraft carrier.

Where is Major Buang Ly now?

the Naval Aviation Museum
The Bird Dog that Major Buang landed is now on display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

Has a C-130 ever landed on an aircraft carrier?

This is a big plane for a small runway. A KC-130F made history in 1963 by landing and taking off from the USS Forrestal. And they didn’t just land once. The C-130 became the largest and heaviest aircraft be land on an aircraft carrier – and the record still stands today.

What is the biggest plane to land on an aircraft carrier?

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was the largest aircraft to ever land on a flight deck of an aircraft carrier. It landed on the flight deck of USS Forrestal without any modifications. It happened in 1963 during an experiment with making C-130s for the navy.

What is the largest plane to land on an aircraft carrier?

Did the O-1 Bird Dog Fly in Vietnam?

In 1962, the Army L-19 and Marine Corps OE-1 was redesignated the O-1 (Observation) Bird Dog and entered the Vietnam War. During the early 1960s, the Bird Dog was flown by the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), U.S. Army, and U.S. Marines in South Vietnam and later by clandestine forward air controllers (e.g., Ravens) in Laos and Cambodia.

What kind of aircraft is a bird dog?

The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog was a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces’ separation from it in 1947.

Was the Birddog ever used in the military?

In addition to the U.S. Army and USAF, the Bird Dog served with the Unites States Marine Corps (USMC) and 19 foreign countries. The Birddog was first built in 1950 by the Cessna Aircraft Company as a military reconnaissance plane.

What happened to the O-1 Bird Dogs?

Replicas of actual sea horses became the company trademark, and silhouettes of the tiny marine animals adorned the wings of all 183rd aircraft. During the course of the Vietnam War, 469 O-1 Bird Dogs were lost to all causes.