NORTH AMERICAN AT-6 TEXAN

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER 40-2122

 

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(Aitkin) - Ron w T-6.JPG

Brief History

In the summer of 1938, the 109th Squadron of the Minnesota Air National Guard was assigned the BC-1A as a transition aircraft before flying the O-47. Re-designated the AT-6, it was again assigned after WW-II as an instrument trainer for pilots of both the 109th and 179th Squadrons of the Minnesota Air National Guard.

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is a single-engine advanced trainer used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force, and other air forces during WW II and into the 1950s. The T-6 was first flown on April 1, 1935; there were a total of 15,495 built. The aircraft was first known as the BC-1 when it first entered the USAAC. During the Korean War and, to a lesser extent, the Vietnam War, T-6s were pressed into service as forward air control aircraft; these aircraft were designated T-6 “Mosquitos.” The T-6 is known by various designations depending on the model and operating air force. The USAAC designated it as the “AT-6,” the U.S. Navy, the “SNJ,” and the British Commonwealth air forces the “Harvard.”

Interesting Facts

The T-6 is a regular participant at airshows and was used in many movies such as “Tora Tora Tora” and “The Final Countdown,” where the aircraft were converted to single-seat T-6s and painted in Japanese markings to represent Mitsubishi Zeros. The Reno National Air Races also has a class specifically for the T-6. Also of interest is that the present-day USAF trainer is also designated the T-6 Texan II, built by Beechcraft.

Dimensions

Fuselage Length: 29 feet
Wingspan: 42 feet
Height: 11 feet 8 inches

Weights

Empty Weight: 7,125 pounds .
Max Takeoff Weight: 12,100 pounds

Payload: 

Propulsion

Powerplant: 1 Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp radial engine

Horsepower: 600-hp

Performance

Range: 730 miles
Cruise Speed:
Max. Speed: 208 mph
Ceiling: 24,200 feet

Crew & passenger capacity

Crew: 2

Capacity: 

Armament

Provisions for up to 3 7.62 mm machine guns