T-6 Texan Airplane
The T-6 Texan airplane is best known as “The Pilot Maker.”
Designed by North American Aviation, the T-6 Texan Airplane was designed as a basic flight training aircraft. The aircraft was used to prepare advanced student pilots for more advanced fighter and bomber aircraft. But, the T-6 Texan ending up filling many other important military roles and was one of the most significant aircraft designs of the World War II.
North American Aviation and foreign companies that built the T-6 Texan airplane under license built a total of 17,096 Texans. The T-6 was used as an advanced trainer, fighter, interceptor, fighter-bomber, forward air controller, and counter insurgency in World War II. In the civilian world, the T-6 Texan has been an air racer, air show performer, mail carrier, and tour aircraft.
Today, the T-6 Texan is still one of the most popular warbirds.
Here are 5 fun facts about the T-6 Texan:
1. The T-6 Texan was exported widely and served with at least 55 air forces throughout the world.
2. The T-6 Texan is also known as the SNH, Texan, Harvard, Yale, J-Bird or Mosquito.
3. The T-6 Texan served in World War II, and the Korean Conflict.
4. The T-6 Texan saw combat service throughout the world including, Algeria, the Congo, Biafra, the Middle East, and in South and Latin America.
5. You can ride an authentic T-6 Texan from World War II with the Ensign’s Warbird Experience from Pearl Harbor Warbirds in Oahu, Hawaii, or you can get the full Pearl Harbor tour experience.
Here are some T-6 Texan specs:
Conventional design, two place tandem, low wing, all metal, single engine, land plane with retractable landing gear. Wing structure is conventional, with at two-spar system. Split flap system is a hydraulically actuated. The fuselage is chrome-molybdenum tube truss to the rear of the aft cockpit, with a wood or semi-monocoque structure after that. Later aircraft have wood stabilizers.
- Span: 42.0 feet
- Length: 29.0 feet
- Height: 14 feet, 6 inches
- Wing Area: 253.7 square feet
- Tread: 8 feet 7 inches
- Empty weight: 4082 pounds
- Design weight: 5600 pounds
- Max takeoff and landing weight: 5500 pounds
- Electrical: 24 volts
- Fuel – 2 wing tanks: 110 gallons
- Fuel grade – AN-F-48: 91/96 octane
- Oil – AN-O-8: 10 gallons
- Engine Pratt & Whitney: R-1340-AN-1
- Super Charger: 1 Stage 1 Speed
- Brake Horsepower: 600 @ 2250 rpm
- Propeller Hamilton Standard: 2 Blade – 9’0″
- Ordinance – 30 Caliber Guns: Cowl – 200 rounds; Rear – 500 rounds
- Bombs: Wing – 10, 20 pound; Wing – 4, 100 pound