North American AT-6 Texan (SNJ)

Almost certainly the most universally used military training aircraft of all time, the North American AT-6 was derived from the NA-16 prototype, which was produced to a 1937 Army specification for a basic trainer. Evolving from the BC-1 basic combat trainer ordered in 1937, 15,495 Texans were built between 1938 and 1945. The USAAF procured 10,057 AT-6s; others went to the Navy as SNJs and to more than 30 allied nations. Most AAF fighter pilots trained in AT-6s prior to graduation from flying school. Many of the "Spitfire" and "Hurricane" pilots in the Battle of Britain trained in Canada in "Harvards," the British version of the AT-6. To comply with neutrality laws, U.S. built Harvards were flown north to the border and were pushed across. The fuselage is of all metal stressed skin construction, the low cantilever all metal wing features flaps and fabric covered ailerons. The tail has a light alloy framed fabric-covered elevator and rudder. The landing gear is of the retractable type with a steerable tail wheel.

In 1948, Texans still in USAF service were redesignated as T-6s when the AT, BT and PT aircraft designations were abandoned. To meet an urgent need for close air support of ground forces in the Korean Conflict, T-6s flew "mosquito missions" spotting enemy troops and guns and marking them with smoke rockets for attack by fighter-bombers.

The North American Aviation (NAA) AT-6 or, as know in the Navy and Marines Corps, the "SNJ", was developed in the late 1930's and the first production models were delivered to the services in 1940. The aircraft had a 600 HP engine, which gave a top speed of 240 MPH and a cruise speed of 160 mph. It was used by all services as an advanced trainer (AT) and was the final aircraft that every single fighter pilot in World War II was trained in.

Pilot Training at that time consisted of three phase's: (1) Primary, (2) Basic, and (3) Advanced (fighter/attack). The later pilots went into phase 3 in the AT-6 with multi-engine pilots going into specialized training in the aircraft they were assigned to.

After the war, thousands of T-6's were given to foreign Air Forces or scrapped and a few were sold surplus to civilians. However, the aircraft was not in demand at the time due to being somewhat impractical for civilians not to mention the high operating cost. The T-6 burns 30-35 gallons per hour while the contemporary Piper Cub only used 6-8 GPH.

When the Korean War started in 1950, the Air Force and Navy found themselves short of trainers. They had no alternative but to go back into the civilian market and buy back trainers they had sold only 3-4 years earlier. Most were bought back with the government paying five to ten times what they had been sold for earlier proving once again how Washington operates. These repurchased T-6's were sent back to the factory to be remanufactured and updated. These latter aircraft were designated T-6 G's and SNJ-6's. There had been five earlier models of the aircraft which had various modifications however the basic airframe and engine remained unchanged throughout production.

During the Korean War, the Air Force fitted a number of T-6's with two 30 cal machine guns and/or bombs and rockets. They were used for strafing and target spotting for the new jet fighters. After Korea, the T-6/SNJ's were phased out to be replaced with the tri-cycle gear T-28, also built by NAA.

Probably the best fighter to come out of WW2 was the P-51, also built by NAA. Other than top speed, power, and armament, the P-51 and T-6 handled very similar. In those days, there were no simulators or two-seat fighters so, when the fledging pilot got out of a T-6 and into a fighter, he was on his own. Good training was mandatory.

The aircraft, know in the Army Air Corps and Air Force as the "Texan" and in the Navy/Marine Corps as the "J Bird" is probably one of the finest trainers ever built anywhere in the world and is justifiably know as "Pilot Maker". There are only around 300-350 left flying in civilian hands throughout the world out of a total of some 17,000 built.