Fairchild PT-19

The Fairchild PT-19 was a monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF and RCAF during World War II. It was a contemporary of the Kaydet biplane trainer and was used by the USAAF during Primary Flying Training as the introductory pre-solo phase trainer for introducing new pilots to flying before passing them on to the more agile Kaydet.

As with other USAAF trainers of the period, the PT-19 had multiple designations based on the power plant installed.

Design and development

The PT-19 series was developed from the Fairchild M-62 when the USAAC first ordered the aircraft in 1940 as part of its expansion program. The cantilever low-wing monoplane with fixed landing gear design was based on a two-place, tandem seating, open cockpit arrangement. The simple but rugged construction included a fabric-covered welded steel tube fuselage with plywood-covered wood center section, outer wing panels and tail assembly. The use of an inline engine allowed for a very narrow frontal area which was ideal for visibility while the widely set-apart fixed landing gear allowed for solid and stable ground handling.

After its first flight in May 1939, the M-62 won a fly-off competition later that year against 17 other designs for the new Army training airplane. Fairchild was awarded its first Army PT contract for an initial order on 22 September 1939.

The original production batch of 275 were powered by the inline 175 hp Ranger L-440-1 engine and designated the PT-19. In 1941 mass production began and 3,181 of the PT-19A model, powered by the 200 hp L-440-3, were made by Fairchild. An additional 477 were built by Aeronca and 44 by the St Louis Aircraft Corporation. The PT-19B, of which 917 were built, was equipped for instrument flight training by attaching a collapsible hood to the front cockpit.

When a shortage of engines threatened production, the PT-23 model was introduced which was identical except for the 220 hp Continental R-670 radial powerplant. A total of 869 PT-23s were built as well as 256 of the PT-23A, which was the instrument flight-equipped version. The PT-23 was manufactured in the US by Fairchild, Aeronca, St Louis Aircraft Corporation and Howard Aircraft Corporation and in Canada by Fleet Aircraft Corporation as well as Fabrica do Galeao in Brazil.

The final variant was the PT-26 which used the L-440-7 engine. The Canadian-built versions of these were designated the Cornell for use by the Royal Air Force Empire Air Training Scheme in Canada and Rhodesia.

Operational history

Compared to the earlier biplane trainers, the Fairchild PT-19 provided a more advanced type of aircraft. Speeds were higher, the wing loading more approximated combat aircraft with the flight characteristics demanding more precision and care. Its virtues were that it was inexpensive, simple to maintain and most of all, virtually "vice-less", the PT-19 truly lived up to its nickname - the "Cradle of Heroes." It was one of a handful of primary trainer designs that were the first stop on a cadet's way to becoming a combat pilot. Thousands of the PT-19 series were rapidly integrated into the US and Comonwealth training programs, serving throughout World War II and beyond. Even after their retirement in the late 1940s, a substantial number found theor way onto the US civil register. A rough total of 100 still are flyable today.

Variants

PT-19: Initial production variant of the Model M62 powered by 175hp L-440-1, 270 built.
PT-19A: As the PT-19 but powered by a 200hp L-440-3 and detailed changes, redesignated T-19A in 1948, 3226 built.
PT-19B: Instrument training version of the PT-19A, 143 built and six conversions from PT-19A.
XPT-23A: A PT-19 re-engined with a 220hp R-670-5 radial engine.
PT-23: Production radial engined version, 774 built.
PT-23A: Instrument training version of the PT-23, 256 built.
PT-26: PT-19A variant with enclosed cockpit for the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme, powered by a 200hp L-440-3, 670 built for the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Cornell I.
PT-26A: As PT-26 but with a 200hp L-440-7 engine, 807 built by Fleet as the Cornell II.
PT-26B: AS PT-26A with minor changes, 250 built as the Cornell III.
Cornell I: RCAF designation for the PT-26
Cornell II: RCAF designation for the PT-26A
Cornell III: RCAF designation for the PT-26B