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North American AT-6
"Texan"
Flying overhead, in the gear-down landing position, is a model of the AT-6. The AT-6 advanced trainer, the favorite airplane of most WASP, had a 42 foot wing span, a retractable landing gear, was powered by a 600 hp Pratt and Whitney engine, had a top air speed of 210 mph and was nicknamed the "Texan."
During WWII, 17,000 AT-6s (the most widely used trainer ever) were built by North American Aviation. Every WASP trainee, as well as every Army Air Force aviation cadet and Naval aviation cadet, flew the AT-6 (Navy SNJ) for advanced training before graduating and becoming military pilots.
After graduating, some WASP (Ferry Command) ferried AT-6s from the factories in Dallas, Kansas City, and Columbus to air bases all over America and to points of embarkation for shipment to Great Britain. Other WASP (Training Command) flew it as engineering test pilots, low target pilots to train fighter pilots, and on photographic missions. |