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United States' Fairchild PT-19, PT-23, PT-26 trainer1
Design
The Fairchild PT series of trainers started out as the M-62.1
The Fairchilds had steel tube fuselage with a fabric cover.1 The wings were wooden.1
Prototype
The M-62 first flew in 1939.1
Production
The United States Army Air Corps ordered the PTs in 1940.1
The Fairchild PTs were manufactured from February 1940 to May 1944.1
| Manufacturer | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Total | Aeronca | Fairchild | Fleet | Howard | St Louis |
| PT-19 | 2701 | 2701 | ||||
| PT-19A | 3,7031 | 4771 | 3,1821 | 441 | ||
| PT-19B | 9171 | 1431 | 7741 | |||
| PT-23 | 8691 | 3751 | 21 | 931 | 1991 | 2001 |
| PT-23A | 2561 | 1501 | 1061 | |||
| PT-26 | 6701 | 6701 | ||||
| PT-26A | 8071 | 8071 | ||||
| PT-26B | 2501 | 2501 | ||||
| Total | 7,7421 | |||||
Countries of manufacture:
- Canada (Fleet): 1,1501
- United States: 6,5921
Variants
- PT-19: Open cockpit.1
- PT-19A: Open cockpit.1
- PT-19B: Had a hood for the front cockpit that could be used for blind flying instruction.1
- PT-23:
- PT-23A: Was equipped for blind flying.1 Some could carry two stretchers.1
- PT-26: Had a sliding canopy over each of the cockpits.1
Usage
The countries that used the Fairchild PTs were Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Uruguay, and the United States.1
Canada
The PTs that were manufactured in Canada were known as the Cornell.1
| Fairchild PT-191 | Fairchild PT-231 | Fairchild PT-261 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Trainer1 | Trainer1 | Trainer1 |
| Crew | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Engine (Type) | Ranger L-44-11 | Continental R-670-4/4/111 | Ranger L-440-71 |
| Cylinders | Inverted 6 inline1 | Radial 71 | Inverted 6 inline1 |
| Cooling | |||
| HP | 1751 | 2201 | 2001 |
| Propeller blades | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Dimensions | |||
| Span | 36'1 10.97 m1 |
||
| Length | 28'1 8.53 m1 |
25' 11"1 7.9 m1 |
|
| Height | 10' 6"1 3.2 m1 |
||
| Wing area | |||
| Weight | |||
| Empty | 1,845 lb1 837 kg1 |
2,045 lb1 928 kg1 |
|
| Loaded | 2,545 lb1 1,154 kg1 |
2,747 lb1 1,246 kg1 |
|
| Performance | |||
| Speed | 132 mph1 212 kph1 |
128 mph1 206 kph1 |
|
| Cruising speed | 110 mph1 177 kph1 |
||
| Climb to 10,000' / 3,048 m |
17.5 minutes1 | 19.4 minutes1 | |
| Service ceiling | 15,300'1 4,663 m1 |
13,200'1 4,023 m1 |
|
| Range | 400 miles1 644 km1 |
330 miles1 531 km1 |
|
| Armament |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
