AT-6 "Texan"

Brief History

BC-lA/AT-6A Texan - In the summer of 1938, the 109th Squadron was assigned the BC-lA as a transition aircraft before flying the O-47. Re-designated the AT-6, it was again assigned after W.W.II as an instrument trainer for pilots of both the 109th and 179th Squadrons. The T-6 "Texan" is an advanced trainer and the majority of World War II Allied pilots received their flight train in the this aircraft. It was designated SNJ by the Navy and the RAF called it the Harvard. On takeoff it has a distinctive roar as the propeller blade tips exceed the speed of sound. A total of 15,495 aircraft were build and used to train several hundred thousand pilots of 34 countries. The museum BC-1 has the markings of the 109th Observation Squadron of the period.