Roden 619 1/32 Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog

In the late 1940s the Commander of the U.S. Air Force announced a competition for an aircraft to conduct air correction of artillery fire, which would also be used as a communications airplane. The need to develop a new plane was connected to the fact that the previous aircraft types in this category dated back to World War II and had an archaic design, including the use of such materials as wood and canvas, with which the flying surfaces were covered. The new aircraft was required to be all-metal.

Of the proposals tendered, the winner was the Cessna company, which according to the specifications required for the new type significantly modified their earlier Model 170. Primarily the changes concerned the fuselage, improving the view towards both the upper and the rear hemisphere. The plane could transport a pilot and one passenger, or one wounded on a stretcher; for this purpose the cabin doors were enlarged and special mounting brackets were fitted.