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Fighter / Attack:
   Bell P-39 Airacobra
   Bell P-63 Kingcobra
   Brewster Buffalo
   Chance-Vought F-4U Corsair
   Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
   Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
   Douglas A-1 Skyraider
   Douglas A-26 Invader
   Douglas SBD Dauntless
   Fairey Firefly
   Focke-Wulf Fw 190
   Grumman F4F Wildcat
   Grumman F6F Hellcat
   Grumman F7F Tigercat
   Grumman F8F Bearcat
   Grumman TBF Avenger
   Hawker Hurricane
   Hawker Sea Fury
   Lockheed P-38 Lightning
   Messerschmitt Bf-109
   Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen
   North American P-51 Mustang

   Polikarpov I-16
   Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
   Supermarine Spitfire
   Yakovlev Yak-3
   Yakovlev Yak-9


Trainers:
  
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan (C-45)
   Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
   Boeing / Stearman PT-17

   Commonwealth CA-25 Winjeel
   Commonwealth CA-1 Wirraway
   DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk
   DeHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth
   Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
   Hunting / Percival Provost
   Meyers OTW
   Nanchang CJ-6
   Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
   N. Am. BT-9 / BT-14 / Yale
   N. Am. T-6 Texan / SNJ / Harvard
   N. American T-28 Trojan

   Piaggio P149
   Ryan PT-22 Recruit

   Scottish Aviation T1 Bulldog
   Vultee BT-13 Valiant
   Yakovlev Yak-11
   Yakovlev Yak-18
   Yakovlev Yak-52


Bombers:
   Avro Lancaster
   Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
   Boeing B-29 Superfortress
   Bristol Blenheim / Bolingbroke
   Consolidated B-24 Liberator
   Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

   Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
   DeHavilland Mosquito
   Fairey Swordfish
   Heinkel He-111 / Casa 2.111

   Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon / Ventura
   Martin B-26 Marauder
   North American B-25 Mitchell


Transports:
   Beechcraft C-45 (AT-11)

   Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (KC-97)
   Curtiss C-46 Commando
   Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota
   Douglas C-54 Skymaster

   Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
   Fairchild C-123 Provider
   Grumman C-1 Trader (S-2)
   Lockheed C-60 Lodestar
   Lockheed C-69 Constellation


Utility / Observation / Special Duty:
   Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper
   Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper
   Antonov AN-2 Colt
   Auster AOP 6/9
   Avro 652 Anson
   Avro Shackleton
   British Taylorcraft I-V
   Cessna L-19 / O-1 Bird Dog
   Cessna O-2 Super Skymaster
   Cessna T-50 / UC-78 Bobcat
   Consolidated PBY Catalina

   DeHavilland U-6A / L-20 Beaver
   Fairey Gannet
   Fairey Swordfish
   Fieseler Fi156 Storch
   Grumman S-2 Tracker (C-1)
   Grumman HU-16 Albatross
   Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
   Junkers Ju 52/3m

   Lockheed P2V Neptune
   Max Holste M.H.1521 Broussard
   Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun

   Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman
   North American L-17 Navion
   N. Am./ Rockwell OV-10 Bronco
   Piper L-4 Grasshopper
   Stinson L-5 Sentinel
   Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper
   Westland Lysander


Jets:
   Aero L-29 Delfin
   Aero L-39 Albatros
   Aermacchi MB-326
   Avro Vulcan
   BAC Strikemaster
   Blackburn (BAC) Buccaneer
   Canadair Tutor
   Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
   DeHavilland Vampire
   DeHavilland Venom
   English Electric Canberra
   English Electric Lightning
   Folland Gnat
   Fouga CM-170 Magister
   Gloster Meteor
   Grumman F9F Panther
   Hawker Hunter
   Hispano HA-200 Saeta
   Hunting Jet Provost
   Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
   Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
   McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
   McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom
   Messerschmitt Me-262
   Mikoyan MiG-15
   Mikoyan MiG-17
   Mikoyan MiG-21
   N. Am. F-86 Sabre / FJ-4 Fury
   N. Am. F-100 Super Sabre
   N. Am. / Rockwell T-2 Buckeye
   Northrop T-38 Talon / F-5
   PZL / WSK TS-11 Iskra
   Saab J35 Draken
   Soko G-2A Galeb
   Temco Pinto & Super Pinto


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Fairchild PT-19 / PT-23 / PT-26 Cornell

(Variants/Other Names: None)


Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
PT-19 N52164, flown by Ken Dorsch and owned by Curt Kinchen (now owned by John Armbrust.) Photo by Neville Dawson, Classic Wings Downunder.

History: Basic flight training in the United States prior to World War II was generally provided in light biplanes, which tended to be slow, stable and tolerant of fledgling pilots. Thus, the majority of U.S. Army Air Corps primary training in 1940 was still being done in biplanes like the Boeing-Stearman PT-13/17 series. However, given the increasingly high-performance nature of the world's combat aircraft, the Army reasoned that the primary training was too easy, giving the beginner a false sense of mastery that could, on the next leg up, slow down his learning, or even cause him to fail, when he was prematurely thrust into more demanding aircraft. Experienced instructors wanted the primary trainer to be a monoplane, with higher wing loading that demanded more careful flying. Such reasoning led the USAAC to evaluate the Fairchild M62 two-seat monoplane in 1939.

With a wing loading factor roughly 43 percent higher than the Boeing-Stearman PT-13, the Fairchild had a higher stalling speed and required a good deal more care at low speed, making it exactly what the Army was looking for, a trainer that would more nearly resemble the fighter aircraft the trainees would eventually fly. Following its evaluation, USAAC ordered 270 of the craft, with two open cockpits, as the PT-19 "Cornell," powered by a Ranger L-440 six-cylinder, inverted, air-cooled inline engine of 175 horsepower.

When the Army placed massive orders for primary trainers, Fairchild increased the plane's power with an upgraded, 200 hp Ranger engine, and the plane became the PT-19A. To meet the increasing demand, the PT-19A was also built by the Aeronca and St. Louis aircraft companies, with a total of more than 3,700 built.

More than 900 of a blind-flying version, the PT-19B, were also built. With its instruments for blind flying, the PT-19B could be fitted with a hood over the front cockpit to simulate blind flying conditions. Fairchild built 774 of the B models, with Aeronca building another 143.

When a shortage of Ranger engines developed, Fairchild installed a Continental R-670 radial engine of 220 hp on the PT-19 airframe, that variant being designated PT-23. While the less-streamlined engine cowling reduced the plane's performance slightly, for the training role the loss was not significant.

The final version of the PT-19 series, an enclosed-cockpit version designated the PT-26, was designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 with a canopy over the two cockpits. 670 of the PT-26s were provided to the RCAF through Lend-Lease and, in a variation on the Lend-Lease theme, the U.S. Army Air Force ordered 1,057 PT-26s from the Canadian manufacturer, Fleet Aircraft, Ltd. All PT-26s were equipped with the 200 hp Ranger engine.

A total of 7,742 Cornells were manufactured for the AAF, 4,889 of them PT-19s, with additional Cornells being furnished to Canada, Norway, Brazil, Ecuador and Chile.

Nicknames: "Cradle of the Air Force"

Specifications (PT-26A):
        Engine: One 200-hp Ranger L-440 six-cylinder inverted inline piston engine
        Weight: Empty 2,022 lbs., Max Takeoff 2,736 lbs.
        Wing Span: 36ft. 0in.
        Length: 27ft. 8.5in.
        Height: 7ft. 7.5in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 122 mph
            Ceiling: 13,200 ft.
            Range: 400 miles
        Armament: None

Number Built: 7,742

Number Still Airworthy: At least 100 (all variants).

[ Mark Denest's beautiful PT-26 ]

wbapirep2.jpg (2266 bytes)  [ Boots McCormick's pilot report on the PT-26 ]

 
PT-19 Cockpit Photo:

(Click for larger)


PT-26 Cockpit Photo: 

(Click for larger)

Links:
Bernard Hinkle's Account of WWII PT-19 Primary Flight Training
CAF Dixie Wing PT-26
CAF Ghost Squadron Cornell Page
CAF Wisconsin Wing, Waukesha, WI -- Operators of PT-26 N103JC. 
Canadian Warplane Heritage PT-26
Cavanuagh Flight Museum (Texas, USA) PT-19
March Field Air Museum's PT-19B
Riffle Aviation -- Fairchild PT aircraft information and manuals on CD-ROM.

 

 


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