Cessna Bird Dog 981

[willedoo]

Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, serial number 51-4981 is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

 

Web address of the museum is http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/, and looks like it would be an amazing place to visit. The list of aircraft displayed is at http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/explore/exhibits-and-collections/aircraft-on-display

 

Clicking on the O-1 Bird Dog link brings up a photo and brief history of '981. It made it's way to the Naval Museum after being donated by the crew of the USS Midway after it's famous carrier landing by Major Buang-Ly with his wife and five children.

 

'981 was the Bird Dog flown by Australian FAC Garry Cooper, during his detachment to the USAF in South Vietnam in 1968. At some stage before the carrier landing in 1975, it must have transferred to the VNAF and is displayed as such at the museum.

 

It's a bit sad that they had to defer the museum's 50th. anniversary celebrations which were to be held on the weekend just gone. The museum is shut down and all the staff laid off due to the Government shutdown.

 

Just as a side note, Garry Cooper's book, ' Sock it to 'em Baby - Forward Air Controller in Vietnam' is a great book; well worth reading and documents a fair bit of 981's history during his tour of Vietnam.

 

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Cheers, Willie.

 

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