Misplaced Pages

#728271

30-549: The museum was established in 2003 by Deanie Bishop Parrish and her daughter Nancy Parrish. It opened in a 11,700 sq ft (1,090 m) 1929 hangar in May 2005. A PT-19 was placed on loan to the museum in 2008. The museum announced plans for a 8,600 sq ft (800 m) exhibition hall on the north side of the hangar to improve artifact storage and increase display area in October 2014. The design eventually changed so that by

60-582: A foundry . After the start of WWII , Fairchild licensed manufacturing with Fleet Aircraft , Howard Aircraft Corporation , St. Louis Aircraft Corporation , and Aeronca . 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

90-568: A 50 km (31 mi) course around the water tower, the McCook Field water tower, and a pylon placed at New Carlisle . In June 1923, an Air Service TC-1 airship "was wrecked in a storm at Wilbur Wright Field" and by 1924, the field had "an interlock system" radio beacon using Morse code command guidance (dash-dot "N" for port, dot-dash "A" for starboard) illuminating instrument board lights. The Field Service Section at Wilbur Wright Field merged with McCook's Engineering Division to form

120-430: A more advanced type of aircraft. Speeds were higher and wing loading more closely approximated that of combat aircraft, with flight characteristics demanding more precision and care. Its virtues were that it was inexpensive, simple to maintain and, most of all, virtually viceless. These planes were delivered to various bases all over the country by WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots) between 1942-1944. Thousands of

150-416: A narrower cowling compared to those using a radial engine, which meant increased visibility for the pilot. The reduced cowling also improved propeller efficiency and an increase in horsepower. The cantilever wings, with wooden ribs, were covered by 3/32 inch preformed mahogany or fir plywood. The inboard portion consisted of a welded trussed 4130 structure. The fuselage used Chromoly square tubing for

180-624: A number of complaints about durability issues with the plywood wings of the PT-19 and the PT-23 when exposed to the high heat and/or humidity of training bases located in Texas and Florida. Maintenance officers at the USAAF overhaul depots had been forced to order replacement of the wooden wing sections after only two to three months' active service because of wood rot and ply separation issues. Subsequent to this incident,

210-512: The Great Miami River began using space and mechanics at Wilbur Wright Field. Following World War I, the training school at Wilbur Wright Field was discontinued. Training units assigned to Wilbur Wright Field Combat units trained at Wilbur Wright Field Service units trained at Wilbur Wright Field   1923 records for speed, distance, and endurance were set by an April 16 Fokker T-2 flight from Wilbur Wright Field which used

240-532: The Materiel Division on 15 October 1926 ("moved to Wright Field when McCook Field closed in 1927"). The Air Service's "control station for the model airway"—which scheduled military flights of the Airways Section —moved to Wilbur Wright Field from McCook Field in the late 1920s (originally "at Bolling Field until 1925"). The Fairfield Air Depot formed when the leased area of Wilbur Wright Field and

270-504: The Western Front in France, and the field housed an aviation mechanic's school and an armorer's school. On 19 June 1918, Lt. Frank Stuart Patterson at the airfield was testing machine gun/propeller synchronization when a tie rod failure broke the wings off his Airco DH.4 M while diving from 15,000 ft (4,600 m). Also in 1918, McCook Field near Dayton between Keowee Street and

300-413: The longerons and brace members, and fabric covered. The cowling was made of Alclad . Both wing center sections contained the 24.5-US-gallon (93 L) fuel tank, with landing gear housings on the outboard ends. The oleo struts were designed to withstand a 6 g acceleration from a 30-inch (76 cm) drop. Two hollow box wood spars were used in the wing and center sections. Duramold was used to cover

330-675: The Army-owned land of the Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot merged soon after World War I. For an aerial war game of 1929, "Fairfield" was the headquarters of the Blue air force: a Blue "airdrome north of Dayton at Troy" was strafed on May 16 ("a raid on the airdrome at Fairfield" was later expected), "Dayton" was the May 21 take off site for a round-trip bomber attack on New York , and "target areas at Fairfield" were used for live bombing on May 25. A provisional division

SECTION 10

#1733086199729

360-557: The Fairchild PT and was responsible for the relatively small survival rate of the airplanes built." On 15 May 1939, the M-62 prototype first flew. In a fly-off competition at Wright Field , the aircraft beat out 17 other designs. On 22 September 1939, the Army placed an order for 270 airplanes. Fairchild had to include 27 wood working subcontractors, including furniture stores, a hosiery plant and

390-684: The PT-19 series were rapidly integrated into the United States and Commonwealth training programs, serving throughout World War II and beyond. Even after their retirement in the late 1940s, a substantial number found their way onto the United States and other civil registers, being flown by private pilot owners. As of 2011 , there were 98 airworthy aircraft worldwide. Data from United States Military Aircraft since 1909 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field

420-493: 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 airplane production exceeded engine production, the PT-23 was prototyped by Fairchild. Except for the engine, the airplane was identical from the firewall rearwards. According to Puckett, "The second protype PT-23 was

450-733: The USAAF incorporated a demand for all-metal wing sections on all future fixed-wing training aircraft. 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 British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which was centered in Canada. Compared to the earlier biplane trainers, the Fairchild PT-19 provided

480-672: The addition of a welcome center, office space and the Catherine Vail Bridge Education Center – in November 2020. The museum acquired an AT-6 in 2023. The museum holds an annual Homecoming and Fly-In. PT-19 The Fairchild PT-19 (company designation Fairchild M62) is an American monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces , RAF and RCAF during World War II . Designed by Fairchild Aircraft , it

510-798: The airfield. Wilbur Wright Field was established in 1917 for World War I on 2,075 acres (840 ha) of land adjacent to the Mad River which included the 1910 Wright Brothers ' Huffman Prairie Flying Field and that was leased to the Army by the Miami Conservancy District. Logistics support to Wilbur Wright Field was by the adjacent Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot established in January 1918 and which also supplied three other Midwest Signal Corps aviation schools. A Signal Corps Aviation School began in June 1917 for providing combat pilots to

540-578: The location of the Materiel Division of the Air Corps and a key logistics center and in 1935, quarters were built at Patterson Field which in 1939 still "was without runways...heavier aircraft met difficulty in landing in inclement weather." Wright Field retained the land west of the Huffman Dam and became the research and development center of the Air Corps. Engineering and flight activities of

570-766: The only one of these airplanes which was painted Air Corps blue and yellow." The PT-23 was powered by 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 (220 or 232 between 1944 and 1948). During 1943, USAAF Training Command received

600-433: The principle of safe fog flying) was moved to Wright Field by the end of 1931. Materiel Division ’s Fog Flying Unit under 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger used the equipment for blind landings. Patterson Field named for Frank Stuart Patterson was designated on 6 July 1931 as the area of Wright Field east of Huffman Dam (including Fairfield Air Depot, Huffman Prairie, and Wright Field's airfield). Patterson Field became

630-636: The school year 1927-28 at Wright Field, which had the Army Air Corps Museum in Building 12. By November 1930, "the laboratory at Wright Field" had planes fitted as flying laboratories" (e.g., B-19 "flying laboratory" with "8-foot tires"), and the equipment of the 1929 Full Flight Laboratory (closed out by the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics , which had established

SECTION 20

#1733086199729

660-491: The southwest (now part of Riverside ). The combined area was named Wright Field to honor both Wright Brothers. A new installation with permanent brick facilities was constructed to replace McCook Field and was dedicated on October 12, 1927. The transfer of 4,500 tons of engineering material, office equipment and other assets at McCook Field to Wright Field began on March 25, 1927, and was 85% complete by June 1 after moving 1,859 truckloads. "The Engineering School shut down for

690-599: The time it was dedicated in April 2017, the expansion had become an entirely separate building with an external appearance similar to the historic Hangar No. 1. Along with the completion of phase one of its development program, the museum hired a new executive director. Then, in December, a BT-13 was donated to the museum by the American Aviation Heritage Foundation. The museum closed for its phase two expansion –

720-690: The two installations after the designation of Patterson Field included numerous aviation achievements and failures prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor : The Army Air Forces Technical Base was formed on December 15, 1945, when Wright Field, Patterson Field, Dayton Army Air Field in Vandalia and Clinton County AAF in Wilmington merged. After the USAF was created, the base was renamed Air Force Technical Base in December 1947 and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in January 1948.. The former Wright Field became Area B of

750-466: The wings. Early models used aluminum alloy seats made by the Budd Company , while later models used plywood seats made by Hughes Aircraft Company . Early models had metal floors and flaps, while later models used wood for both. The vertical and horizontal stabilizers were made of spruce spars, covered with 1 ⁄ 16 inch (1.6 mm) plywood. According to Puckett, "Moisture became the arch enemy of

780-585: Was "assembled at Dayton" on May 16, 1931, for maneuvers in which "Maj. Henry H. Arnold , division G-4 (Supply), had stocks at Pittsburgh; Cleveland; Buffalo; Middletown, Pennsylvania; Aberdeen, Maryland; and Bolling Field to service units as they flew eastward." The depot remained active until 1946. In 1924, the city of Dayton purchased 4,500 acres (1,821 ha), the portion of Fairfield Air Depot leased in 1917 for Wilbur Wright Field, along with an additional 750 acres (300 ha) in Montgomery County to

810-530: Was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Located near Riverside, Ohio , the site is officially "Area B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and includes the National Museum of the United States Air Force built on

840-462: Was a contemporary of the Kaydet biplane trainer, and was used by the USAAF during Primary Flying Training. As with other USAAF trainers of the period, the PT-19 had multiple designations based on the powerplant installed. According to H.L. Puckett, "Still U.S. pilots were receiving their primary flight training in biplanes, although the low wing advance trainer was in use. A look around showed that there

870-425: Was named chief engineer, and given the task of designing the PT-19. Included in the design was the use of interchangeable parts and non-strategic materials. According to Puckett, "The proposed low wing design adapted itself readily to a wide tread landing gear, which when combined with judicious wheel location and a low center of gravity, provided protection against ground looping." The Ranger engine would also result in

900-587: Was no low wing primary trainer being produced in the U.A. Fairchild felt this urgency and set his organization at work on such a low wing trainer with the proposal that the new proven Ranger be used as the power plant for the new airplane to be known as the M-62. The M-62, which was to become the PT-19, was to use the experience gained from the F-24 and the more recent Model 46." In 1933, Fairchild Aircraft Corporation's chief engineer, A.A. Gassner, had hired Armand Thiebolt, as his chief structural engineer. In 1937, Thiebolt

#728271