Topeka to host gathering of Vietnam War-era ‘bird dog’ aircraft

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Dozens of airplanes with special ties to the Vietnam War will be dropping in to visit Topeka later this month with a few rare opportunities for some to get above the clouds.

Greg Davis with the International Bird Dog Association (IBDA) said in a press release that more than 40 iconic Cessna L-19/O-1 “bird dog” planes will be visiting Forbes Field in Topeka from Sept. 10-14. The IBDA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit will be hosting the special 75th Anniversary Homecoming event.

Davis said the event will honor not only the planes, but also Vietnam War veterans who flew the bird dogs. People attending the event will have opportunities to participate in ‘fly-outs’ starting on Sept. 11 where the L-19s will head off to Textron Aviation’s Beech Field for lunch, a presentation and photos with current Textron Aviation products.

The full schedule of events for the homecoming can be found below for those who registered in time:

Thursday, Sept. 11:
• Fly / Drive to Wichita KS mass gathering at Cessna/Beech Factory Field (lunch / group photo).
• Drive to Kansas Air Museum (McConnel Air Force Base) guided tour 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Drive or fly back to Topeka / group dinner at The Pennant restaurant in downtown Topeka at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 12:
• Fly / Drive to Garmin Olathe for factory tour (1.5 hours) (lunch).
• Drive to Army National Guard Museum tour 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Dinner at the Celtic Fox restaurant in downtown Topeka.

Saturday, Sept. 13:
• Drive to Kansas History Museum.
• Kansas Air Guard KC-135 command brief and tour (TBD) (lunch).
• Air Combat Museum tour.
• Banquet Dinner Topeka Airport terminal area (catered) w/ guest speakers.
• Cat Killers (pilots, maintainers) FACs are all invited to attend and round table discuss their Bird Dog Stories Thursday, Friday and Saturday at dinner.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf