CESSNA BIRD DOG AUCTION ON TV

12 Nov 2013

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A restored 1953 Cessna L-19 'Bird Dog' aircraft will be sold at one of the world's biggest classic car auctions - Barrett-Jackson's annual event in Scottsdale, Arizona in January.

The aircraft is being donated by Cessna and funds raised will bne donated to the US Armed Forces Foundation (AFF). It's a double auction - alongside the Bird Dog will be a restored Dodge M37 three-quarter ton pickup truck restored and donated by Okoboji Classic Cars of West Okoboji, Iowa.

Charity fundraising is a key part of the Barrett-Jackson car auction. The L-19 and M37 package will be auctioned off in a live, prime time broadcast of the event on the FOX network on Saturday, 18 January.

The Army version of the Cessna L-19 (designated the O-1) saw service throughout the 1950s and 60s. Its roles included artillery spotting, medevac operations, search and rescue, communications and training. An Army aviation officer at the time described the L-19 Bird Dog as “worth its weight in gold” for its successful operation during the 1950s Korean campaign.

The Dodge M37 three-quarter ton pickup truck is being restored and donated by a Cessna customer, Okoboji Classic Cars of Spencer, Iowa.

“We have put over 2,500 hours into restoring the M37 so far,” said Toby Shine, president of Okoboji Classic Cars and of Shine Bros. Corp.

“We’d found it sitting in a field, so it is a complete frame-off restoration. It looks great, especially alongside the L-19. We feel it is our honor to be able to support our men and women in the Armed Forces, and our family business has done that for over a century. We are proud that the proceeds from this effort will go to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation.”

The specific Cessna L-19 up for auction has been restored and is a fully functional instrument flight rules (IFR) Bird Dog equipped with Garmin 430 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

LINK
Barrett Jackson Auctions

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