Andrews – The third annual Welcome Home – A Tribute To All Who Serve event celebrating local veterans will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, at Western Carolina Regional Airport.
The event showcases several different vintage aircraft from different periods of conflict. This year, that includes the T-6 Texan from World War II and beyond.
The T-6 Texan was considered the most wide spread and versatile aircraft ever built. It was used by more air forces in the world than any other airplane from 1938-96. More than 17,000 variations were built such as the NA-26, BC-1, J-Bird, Harvard, Wirraway, Ceres, Mosquito and Pilot Maker.
The Texan two-place advanced trainer was the classroom for most of the Allied pilots who flew in World War II. American pilots spent 100 hours training in a T-6 during WWII. Though most famous as a trainer, the T-6 Texan also won honors in World War II and in the early days of the Korean War.
Although not as fast as a fighter, it was easy to maintain and repair, had more maneuverability and was easier to handle. A pilot’s airplane, it could roll, Immelmann, loop, spin, snap and vertical roll.
It was designed to give the best possible training in all types of tactics, from ground strafing to bombardment and aerial dogfighting. It contained such versatile equipment as bomb racks, blind flying instrumentation, gun and standard cameras, fixed and flexible guns, and just about every other device that military pilots had to operate.
General characteristics include:
- Crew – Two, usually a student and instructor.
- Length – 29 feet.
- Height – 11 feet 8 inches.
- Wing area – 253.7 square feet.
- Wingspan – 42 feet.
- Gross weight –5,617 pounds.
- Engine – Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp radial with 600 horsepower.
- Performance – Maximum speed of 208 mph at 5,000 feet, with a cruising speed of 145 mph.
- Range – 730 miles.
- Service ceiling – 24,200 feet and can climb at a rate of 1,200 feet per minute.
- Armament: Provision for up to three 0.30-inch machine guns.
For details, visit https://www.boeing.com/history/products/t-6-texan-trainer.page.
Welcome Home is sponsored by Ivie Funeral Home and hosted by American Legion Post 532. This spectacular airplane and others will be on display, along with much more.
By Linda Hagberg / Clay County Progress