North American AT-6C-15-NT Texan / Harvard Mk IIa (c/n 88-13651, N696RE, formerly 7696 of the South African Air Force), exhibited during open doors day at Classic Trainers / Hangar 3 collection, Plzeň-Líně, May 2024.
In 1935, the North American Aviation (NAA) company developed a single-engine, advanced training aircraft, designated NA-16. Its prototype successfully performed the first flight on 1st April 1935 and, shortly after, NAA presented its new aircraft at the Basic Trainer Competition organised by the US Army Air Corps (USAAC).
Then, a few modified variants of the aeroplane were developed, with both fixed and retractable landing gear. The series included NA-18, NA-19 and NA-19a (the first production variant for the USAAC), NA-26 (submitted for the USAAC Basic Combat Trainer competition in 1937), NA-28 (purchased by the US Navy), NA-32 and NA-33 (rights to license manufacturing bought by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Australia), and then NA-36 (ordered by the Air Corps Reserve and National Guard).
The first production versions of the aircraft were designated by the manufacturer as BT (basic trainer) and BC (basic combat). However, the US Navy adopted them, depending on the variant, as NJ-1, SNJ-1, SNJ-2 and SNJ-3. The US Army designated the aeroplane AT-6 (advanced trainer 6) Texan – and this name became the most popular designation used to describe the entire family of the NAA training aircraft.
In a short time, the AT-6 became the most popular advanced training aircraft of the Allied air forces during the World War II. The aeroplane was in service with the US Army Air Forces (later the United States Air Force, with its designation changed to T-6), the US Navy and the USAAC, as well as with the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces of the Commonwealth (where it was designated Harvard).
Production of the aircraft was continued until the early 1950s and nearly 15,500 examples of the AT-6 trainers were made in total.
After the war, the Texan and its derivatives were sold to dozens air forces and navies all around the world. A few armed variants were also used in combat during the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War, the Sinai Campaign, the Greek Civil War, several local conflicts in Africa and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Several surplus aeroplanes were purchased by private operators and soon the AT-6 Texan became one of the most popular warbirds in the world. In addition, the aircraft was often used as a base to create ´TexZero´ – an aeroplane resembling in appearance the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.
The aircraft featured within our Photo of the Week series was manufactured in 1943 as AT-6C-15-NT. Initially, the aeroplane was operated by the USAAF with the tail number 42-44038. After the war, it was converted into Harvard Mk IIa standard and sold to the South African Air Force, where it served as 7696.
In the late 1990s, the aircraft was sold to private operator and brought back to the USA. It is worth to mention that the Harvard managed to survive in a particularly original condition. That fact was noted and awarded during Oshkosh air show 2009, when it was recognized as the most original AT-6/Harvard preserved until today.
The aircraft was acquired by Czech owner in 2011 and then transferred to Plzeň-Lině, where is being based until today, as part of the Classic Trainers collection. Since 2017, the Harvard is wearing the livery of the 17th Service Flying Training School RAF (FX352 / ´white 11´).
