AT-16 Harvard IIB
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INTRODUCTION
The ‘Harvard’ is an American designed aircraft used extensively as a single-engined advanced fighter trainer for military pilots transitioning from low powered primary trainers to high performance front line fighters.
In August 1938, Noorduyn Aviation (of Montreal, Quebec) signed an agreement with North American to build the Harvard under licence and in December 1939 the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) placed their first order. Between 1940 and 1945 Noorduyn went on to produce almost 2800 Harvard Mk. IIBs for both the RCAF and the
RAF. In 1946 the company was purchased by Canadian Car & Foundry; their combined total production put an impressive 3,350 Harvards into service.
This aircraft was built in 1942 at the Noorduyn production plant (previously the Curtiss-Reid factory) under a lend – lease agreement with the US Air Force. It was assigned a military serial number of 42-892 and went straight into service with the Royal Canadian Air Force at No.1 Training command (under BCATP) and served with No.6 Service Flying Training School at Dunnville (Ontario, Canada). This aircraft also served with the Swedish Air Force between 1948 to 1972 serving with No. 5 Squadron.
In 1990 the aircraft went through an extensive overhaul program by world famous ‘The Fighter Collection’ in the UK and returned to flight again in 1996.
Manufacturer
Noorduyn Aviation
Model
AT-16 Harvard IIB
Registration
G-BTXI
Serial Number
42-892
Year Constructed
1942
Airframe Hours
1650:05
Engine
Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1
Engine Hours
150:45
Propeller
Hamilton Standard 12D40-211
Livery
The aircraft is presented in its original scheme of the
Commonwealth Training Pilots livery, RCAF FE695 / “94”.
The configuration is kept authentic with under wing bomb
racks and a .303 machine gun in the wing. The aircraft is
well regarded as an exceptional example, having been
restored to the highest standards.
Avionics
Becker AR-6201 8.33khz Radio
Equipment
Canopy covers. Bomb racks
History
The aircraft was built in December 1942 as an AT-16 Harvard
by Noordurn Aviation under a lend lease agreement with the US Air Force. It was issued with military serial number: ‘42-892’. The Royal Canadian Air Force took delivery of the aircraft the same year and assigned their military registration ‘FE695’ before sending it via No.1 Training Command where it served with No.6 Service Flying Training School at Dunnville (Ontario, Canada). Its duty was to train Commonwealth pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme (part of BCATP).
In November 1945, the aircraft was placed in military storage
until being discharged in June 1947. Following refurbishment,
the aircraft took to the skies once more, this time by the Swedish Air Force under the type designation SK-16A with the military registration: Fv16105. The aircraft served with No. 5 Squadron (Code 18) of the Swedish Air Force from August 1948 through to March 1972. After being discharged it was placed with a technical school as an instructional airframe at Hasslo Flygteknikcentrum in Vasteras, Sweden.
This Harvard joined world renowned ‘The Fighter Collection’ in 1990 and between the years of 1991 and 1995 underwent a
thorough overhaul. On the 8th May 1996 the aircraft took to the air again, and to this day it is highly regarded as an exceptional example of a fully airworthy Harvard.
