O-1E Bird Dog

This example of the two-place observation aircraft used for aerial spotting appeared over USS Midway (CVA 41) on April 29, 1975, during the evacuation of South Vietnam.  On board were a South Vietnamese Air Force major, his wife and 5 children, a note dropped from the cockpit requesting permission to land on the aircraft carrier.  After the ship’s captain ordered some helicopters pushed over the side, the pilot successfully landed on the flight deck, the family eventually settling in the United States.