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| STANDARD DATA: Seats 2. Gross wt. 2,400. Empty wt. 1,614. Fuel capacity 41. Engine 210-hp Continental. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 115. Cruise mph 104. Stall mph 54. Initial climb rate 1,150. Range 530. Ceiling 18,500. Takeoff distance (50′) 560. Landing distance (50′) 600. |
The Cessna L-19 “Bird Dog” was adopted by the U.S. Army for liaison and observation work in 1950. The airplane was used extensively in Korea and later in Vietnam in these and other capacities. A total of 3,381 L-19 series aircraft were built by Cessna, the last in 1963. Some have reached civilian hands and are prized as short-field utility aircraft. Ector Aircraft Co. of Odessa, Texas, marketed an extensively rebuilt civilian version of the Bird Dog under the name of “Mountaineer.” It is powered by a 213-hp engine turning a constant-speed prop. A “Super” version is also produced with a 240-hp Lycoming.
