History:
This airplane came out of the Cessna Aircraft Factory in February of 1952. It initally went to the Georgia National Guard. It was being used for U. S. Army training at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1970 when I went through Fixed Wing Aviator Flight Training, but I do not know if I flew it at that time. As it is the trainer version of the Birddog, it has never been overseas. I purchased it in September of 1989 in Redding, California and flew it home to Muncie, Indiana. I have flown it to Oshkosh every year since and while there I flew it in at least one airshow and as many as four. I fly it to many airshows and fly-ins around Indiana every year. I flew it to both liaison fly-ins at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum. In 2000 I flew it to Wichita, Kansas for the 50th Anniversary of the Birddog. I have flown it to the Liaison Fly-In in Keokuk, Iowa several times where I qualified as a four ship wingman and two ship formation lead. I am a Viet Nam veteran and flew the Beech RU-21D (an un-pressureized version of the King Air) over 700 hours and received 14 Air Medals. I attained the rank of CW-2.
Registration Number | Date of Manufacture |
N5190G | 1952 |
Aircraft Role | Nickname |
Liaison/Forward Air Controller | Birddog |
Aircraft Type: | Wingspan: |
Cessna L-19/ O-1 | 36 feet |
Overall length: | Empty weight: |
25 feet 9 inches | 1614 pounds |
Gross weight: | Fuel capacity: |
2400 pounds | 40 Gallons |
Oil capacity | Engine type: |
10 Quarts | Single 213 hp Continental O 470-11 piston engine |
Propeller type: | Max Speed |
McCauley two blade fixed pitch 90 inch diameter 47 inch pitch | 151 mph in a Major dive |
Rate of Climb | Cruise Speed |
1500 Feet Per Minute | 100 mph |
Service Ceiling | Number of Crew |
Two Tandem | |
Armament | Bomb Load |
Under Wing Smoke or White Phosphorus | Up to 250 Pounds per wing |
Number Built | Number Surviving |
3431 | Between 200 and 300 |
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Restoration
The Marine paint scheme was applied by a previous owner but this was never a Marine aircraft.
Restoration Images
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Printable QR Codes for: Bill Finney’s Cessna L-19 Birddog:
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