A restored AT-6 Texan, the most important aircraft for training military pilots in the 20th century, is now on display at Anchorage's Alaska Aviation Museum, and will most likely be available for rides come summertime.
Chuck Miller, Board Member at the Alaska Aviation Museum, said that they bought the airplane in damaged condition in 2011 out of Seattle, and they have been restoring the aircraft over the past 15 months.
Built in 1943, the plane has now been painted in Aleutian colors, so that it looks like the crafts flying in the Aleutians during WWII. It has an inoperable machine gun look-alike in the back seat, one on the front propeller and one on the wing.
The machine-gun in the back was how the aircrafts protected each other during combat, Miller said. The A-T 6 was used to train not only pilots, but also for those operating the guns.
The museum's AT-6 took the skies again this summer, in the Elmendorf Air Show in Anchorage, with Miller in the cockpit. He says the plane is great to fly, and is "very maneuverable." It has a lot of the same characteristics as large fighter jets, he said.
History of the aircraft
The first model of the T-6 Texan was sketched out by J.H. "Dutch" Kindelberger, J.L. Atwood and H.R. Raynor over a cup of coffee in December 1934, and called the "NA-16," Aviation History Online Museum writes.
The NA-16 was first flown on April 1, 1935, according to Classic Fighters. The model was adjusted over the years, resulting in a variety of T-6 aircrafts.
Also known as the "pilot maker," the T-6 Texan was essential in training pilots for combat during WWII and after, says Warbird Alley. As the U.S. air war commitment increased, so did the rapid production of the T-6 Texan. Combat pilots in training saw their required flight hours slashed to just 200 hours as of 1940, and 75 of those were logged in the AT-6.
The Texan has been used to train more military pilots around the world than any other aircraft ever. It was purchased by nations across Europe, South America and Asia. The T-6 was retired from active duty in the U.S. in the 1950's, but in some nations, the plane was used as a basic trainer into the 1970's.
More than 17,000 Texan standard aircrafts were built during the 20th century, of which around 350 are still airworthy.
Head to the Alaska Air Museum
The Alaska Air Museum has one of these airworthy planes, and they hope to start selling rides on it next summer, along with their other AT-6 Texan that is currently in a hangar at Merrill Field.
For now, you can check out the AT-6 at the Alaska Aviation Museum, located at 4721 Aircraft Drive , on Lake Hood in Anchorage. Their winter hours of operation are Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Adult admission is $10.
Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel(at)alaskadispatch.com