United States' Fairchild PT-19, PT-23, PT-26 trainer

Photos

Fairchild M-62A, PT-26, Cornell trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook

Fairchild M-62A, PT-26, Cornell trainer: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook

Fairchild PT-26, Cornell trainer:

Fairchild Cornell Mk II trainer in Rhodesia, 1947:

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

• PT-19: 270¹
  • Manufacturer: Fairchild¹
• PT-19A: 3,703¹
  • Manufacturer: Aeronca¹, Fairchild¹, St. Louis¹
• PT-19B: 917¹
  • Manufacturer: Aeronca¹, Fairchild¹
• PT-23: 869¹
  • Manufacturer: Aeronca¹, Fairchild¹, Fleet¹, Howard¹, St. Louis¹
• PT-23A: 256¹
  • Manufacturer: Howard¹, St. Louis¹
• PT-26: 670¹
  • Manufacturer: Fairchild¹
• PT-26A: 807¹
  • Manufacturer: Fleet¹
• PT-26B: 250¹
  • Manufacturer: Fleet¹
• 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

Specifications