Wwii Training Aircraft - The Fairchild PT-19 (designation Fairchild M62) was an American military aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF, and RCAF during World War II. Designed by Fairchild Aircraft, it was part of the Kaydet biplane trainer and was used by the USAAF during Primary Flying Training. Like other USAAF trainers of the time, the PT-19 had many names depending on the powerplant installed.
The PT-19 series was developed from the Fairchild M-62 that the USAAC first ordered the aircraft in 1940 as part of its expansion program. The low cantilever monoplane, with fixed landing gear and tailwheel design, was based on a two-seater cockpit-style configuration. The simple yet sturdy steel tube fuselage is covered with fabric. The rest of the aircraft used wood construction, including a plywood-clad cter section, outer wings and tail assembly. The use of an in-line cowl allowed for a narrow front section that was perfect for visibility, while the wider landing stage allowed for a powerful and grounded ride.
Wwii Training Aircraft
The M-62 first flew in May 1939 and won a flight competition later that year against 17 other designs for the Army's new training aircraft. Fairchild was awarded the Army's first PT contract for an initial order on 22 September 1939.
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The first run of 275 cars was powered by the Ranger L-440-1 175 hp inline engine and designated PT-19. In 1941, mass production began and 3,181 PT-19A models were produced, powered by the 200 hp L-440-3, manufactured by Fairchild. Another 477 were built by Aeronca and 44 by the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation. The PT-19B, of which 917 was built, was equipped for instrument flight training by attaching a folding hood to the front cockpit.
With no engine problems threatening production, the PT-23 model was introduced with the same Continental R-670 220 hp radial powerplant. A total of 869 PT-23s and 256 of the PT-23A, which were equipped with instrument flight, were built. The PT-23 is manufactured in the USA by Fairchild, Aeronca, St. Louis Aircraft Corporation and Howard Aircraft Corporation and in Canada by Fleet Aircraft Corporation and Fabrica do Galeao in Brazil (220 or 232 between 1944 and 1948).
In 1943, the USAAF Training Command received several complaints about long-term problems with the PT-19 and PT-23 plywood wings exposed to the high temperatures and humidity of the training grounds at Texas and Florida. .
Maintenance managers at USAAF maintenance facilities were forced to order replacement of wooden wing sections after two to three months of active operation due to wood rot and delamination problems.
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Following this incident, the USAAF introduced a requirement for all-metal wings on future fixed-wing training aircraft.
The last type was the PT-26 which used L-440-7 denim. Their Canadian-built versions were given to Cornell for use by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, based in Canada.
Compared to earlier biplane trainers, the Fairchild PT-19 offered a more advanced aircraft model. Speeds are higher and wing loading is more similar to that of fighter jets, with flight characteristics that require precision and control. Its advantages are that it is simple, easy to maintain and, above all, almost impossible to destroy. The PT-19 truly lives up to its nickname, the Cradle of Heroes. It is one of the most important training factors that stand first on a cadet's path to becoming a pilot.
These aircraft were assigned to various bases across the country by WASPs (Wom's Airforce Service Pilots) between 1942-1944.
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Thousands of PT-19s were soon integrated into United States and Commonwealth training programs, serving in World War II and beyond. Even after their retirement at the end of the 1940s, a large number found their way into the United States and other civil registries, flown by private pilots.
Similar to the PT-19, but powered by the 200 hp L-440-3 and with specific modifications, the redesigned T-19A was built in 1948, 3,226.
The PT-19A replacement aircraft for the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme, powered by the L-440-3, 670 200 hp built for the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Cornell I. land and maintain .
Shannon Elliott is the exception though, and it's not uncommon to see the vintage jet owner flying his AT-6 single-engine trainer at air shows and then storing his plane in a private hangar about his home. near the Sunset.
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Elliott, 57, may be young enough to develop an affinity for airplanes that were first built 80 years ago. But listening to him discuss what it was like to fly a famous aircraft trainer used by most World War II pilots, you get the feeling there's more to the story.
"I guess you could say it's a passion, like some people have race horses. For me, it's like a hobby," Elliott said after landing his AT-6. yellow at Ahart Field in Opelousas.
Elliott said flying vintage airplanes is also a hobby so he can capture the joy of flying from the perspective of an era of aviation.
"When you fly these types of airplanes, you see the technology that went into it at the time," he explained, "when precision was achieved using the slide rule and the Another technology of the time.
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The AT-6, sometimes called the Texan, went out of service around 1950. It was originally designed to teach flying, Elliott said.
Typically, Army Air Corps cadets board with their instructors in the AT-6 after learning to fly conventional aircraft and before being authorized to fly the first line aircraft. since World War II.
The two-seat plane, which can climb to an altitude of 24,000 feet, is powered by a 600-horsepower Pratt and Whitney engine that propels the AT-6 to a top speed of just over 200 mph, Elliott said. which changed many times. . His plane was among the participants in the World War II vintage air show held at Ahart Field.
Elliott took off at 5,500 feet alongside Brian Regan, flying a similar AT-6 sponsored by the nationally recognized Team AeroShell.
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As they flew back into the air, Regan and Elliott roared over the runway and released colored smoke from their planes as they performed formation and aerobatic maneuvers.
Elliott said North American Aviation has begun development of AT-6 prototypes in order to give future pilots a safer way to learn to fly with reduced victimization.
"It's a way to provide training to a cadet, when they're ready (the AT-6) to be ready to move on to another aircraft," Elliott explained.
"To do this, the Army Air Corps developed the A-Trainer. For pilots starting their first training, it's like driving a better car.
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"The AT can be equipped with mounted weapons and you can use them in the simulation. I think what we are doing now is bringing back some of the thought for the management. in these planes. It's something I'm doing with my son, Ryan."
About 15,500 were produced and flown for several years after being purchased by air forces from various countries after the end of World War II. More than 500 are believed to be flying worldwide.
In a 1990 article reprinted for the Harvard Aviation website, Bud Davisson describes what pilots experience when operating the AT-6.
"It's like a fighter because the North American designed the Texan to give the student the feeling and powers of a big bird with speed and forgiveness," he wrote. Davison.
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His interest in propeller-driven aircraft began years ago, Elliott said, when B.L. "Swamp" Smith of DeRidder bought a PT-17 Stearman biplane.
Smith became prominent in air show events and, like Elliott, built his own airfield south of DeRidder.
Elliott, also from DeRidder, developed his passion for making the twin-wing Stearmans that Smith loved. Elliott said he remembers being interested in flying from the airport there.
After watching Smith and an uncle, Jerald Hanchey, fly Stearmans at air shows, Elliott bought his own Stearman and began flying with Smith and his uncle.
World War Ii Aviation
"I flew them at shows and other places and that's how I learned everything about flying," Elliott said. "We went to events around the country and I wanted to be able to share with people what these planes do and hear stories from other people."
Elliott said research completed on his plane shows it was a 1941 model. His plane's registration with the Federal Aviation Administration shows he kept the serial number. in its history.
Elliott and his plane can often be seen at other air shows, but those appearances he says are measured because of the high cost.
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