North American T-6 Texan / SNJ / Harvard

I was a NAVCAD, class 48-53 and my training experience was similar to CDR. Glendenning below. Preflight at Mainside, Pensacola was a dream, with every weekend spent with buddy cadets on the white sands of Barranca Beach and in the blue green gulf waters. Many that didn't make it through training were DORs that decided flying wasn't for them.

We had some foreign cadets with us. Most notably French cadets that were headed for Viet Nam flying Corsairs. We didn't realize that the SNJ was a lot of aircraft in which to train.

Most of the training was not much more difficult then learning how to drive a car. The most challenging for me was instrument flying trying to follow a radio signal into a station. Instruction was made relatively easy and straightforward by the excellent - and tough - instructors. Each step was a thrill. The first solo flight when we landed in the mile square grass field, the instructor got out and told me, "Take it around and don't forget to come back for me." Then the thrill of the first solo join up and formation flying. I did manage to hit the sleeve in air to air gunnery. Then in combat training being told to fix the throttle setting and don't move it - and then having my instructor on my six o'clock in no time.

Carrier qualification training was memorable because of the great food we were served all during that time. Those of us that were left by that time in 48-53 all qualified on board the USS Monterey with our six landings.

The SNJ will always have a place in my heart, because it was as if it were my passage into manhood. There will never be a thrill like that of my first solo flight, playing among the clouds with that ultimate feeling of freedom and accomplishment.

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I was a NAVCAD, class 48-53 and my training experience was similar to CDR. Glendenning below. Preflight at Mainside, Pensacola was a dream, with every weekend spent with buddy cadets on the white sands of Barranca Beach and in the blue green gulf waters. Many that didn't make it through training were DORs that decided flying wasn't for them.

We had some foreign cadets with us. Most notably French cadets that were headed for Viet Nam flying Corsairs. We didn't realize that the SNJ was a lot of aircraft in which to train.

Most of the training was not much more difficult then learning how to drive a car. The most challenging for me was instrument flying trying to follow a radio signal into a station. Instruction was made relatively easy and straightforward by the excellent - and tough - instructors. Each step was a thrill. The first solo flight when we landed in the mile square grass field, the instructor got out and told me, "Take it around and don't forget to come back for me." Then the thrill of the first solo join up and formation flying. I did manage to hit the sleeve in air to air gunnery. Then in combat training being told to fix the throttle setting and don't move it - and then having my instructor on my six o'clock in no time.

Carrier qualification training was memorable because of the great food we were served all during that time. Those of us that were left by that time in 48-53 all qualified on board the USS Monterey with our six landings.

The SNJ will always have a place in my heart, because it was as if it were my passage into manhood. There will never be a thrill like that of my first solo flight, playing among the clouds with that ultimate feeling of freedom and accomplishment.

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I'll be forever greatful for the flight instruction I received at Bartow Air Base. Joe Sturgess, and Dick Steed were two great instructors. I was a member of class 54-L, and owe my flighting career in civilian life to that training.

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One of the best planes in the world as advance Trainer in his era....talking about military Schools,in my country we proudly flew it for many years,and all generations of Pilots don,t forget it!!we start in Stearman as Primary Training then Texan AT-6,Trojan T-28,T-33..Viva Mexico!!

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One of the funiest things I've ever heard was a cadets write-up at Willie Field in 1952. We were flying the Terrible 6 in advanced training, prior to entering the F-80 jet era. One cadet shoved the throttle forward and the prop malfunction, I guess it stayed in flat pitch, so he wasn't going anywhere! In true 'super hot pilot' cadet fashion, he wrote in the book 'RUNS LIKE HELL BUT WON'T FLY'

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Don't forget, the SNJ (with a tail hook) was a great carrier plane. I qualified aboard USS Monterry in June,1951.

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I was a cadet at Goodfellow AFB Class 52-D and had the pleasure of laning in a calichi pit off the end of runway 17. ( I think it was called 17?). On take-off the engine quit at around 100 ft. and the only place to land was straight ahead. My instructor in the back seat took over and when we hit the bumpy, uneven surface the wings were ripped off and I departed the aircraft through the windscreen with my seat and all. I actually don't remember it all. A month in the hospital, and a sore back ever. Years later I became a commercial pilot and when people ask me what my favourite airplane was I invariably have to say that the T-6 was most certainly one of them.

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I also started out in the T-6 at Malden, MO. I was in 53-D and, after cutting a tendon in my hand, washed back to 53-E and graduated with them. My instructors were Daniel Matuysiewicz and Nax Dean at Malden. I also flew the T-6 at Goodfellow in San Angelo in Basic and then to T-33 transition at James Connally in Waco. I ended up at Perrin in Sherman, TX as a T-33 and F-86D instructor. I later flew C-119 and C-123 in the Reserves.

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Just wondering if any of the navy pilots reading this ever flew snj5 buno-51686. Now N913D.51686 was stationed at several bases including pensacola,and corpus christy. This is truly a great airplane and a joy to fly.

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I trained on Harvards at RAF Weyburn in 1943. Flew them in England in 1944. Flew them again in Burma 1946 with the Comm Sqdn after WWII. Joined the RCAF in 1952 and flew them again, ended up instructing on them for almost four years and have a total of 2,015.35 hours on the best of all training aircraft.

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Learned to fly in the SNJ at North Whiting Field near Milton, Florida in 1955. Formation and night flying at Saufley Field. Bombing, gunnery and carquals at Baron Field, near Foley, Alabama. Then completed basic instruments and more night flying at Correy Field in Pensacola. Left Pensacola for Advanced Flight Training in March 1956.

191 hours in the SNJ and especially loved doing acrobatics and spins. Quite an airplane for beginning students to master. Most of my instrcutors were super good guys who were teachers with patience and the ability to teach me to do the maneuvers. My 38 years as a professional aviator are due, in no small part, to their skills.

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Erasmus (Raz) Fowler was in NROTC and I AFROTC. Raz stalled out on base while turning for final to a flattop at Pensy.
Raz was one of the smarter guys. I was not. I cannot understand why he let that happen. I made my share of stupid mistakes but never one even close to that.

At Bartow, Navy reserve Corsair pilot showed us how to cheat on a flight landing stage contest without getting caught. We won hands down.

On our final T6 flight Joe took each of us 4 on a farewell, very memorable flight. He had me point it to Daytona whereupon he took it. So about 2" above the waves, sea spray in our faces, we went to Vero and turned toward Bartow. Swamps along the way. He began a barrel role just above the treetops. At the upsidedown point he said, "Damn, Odom, my stick came out. Will you take it?"

The 13 months I spent at BAB and BYT is when my life peaked.
Haven't had so much fun since.

We who got to fly the T6 were extremely fortunate. Nothing in the world like it.

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Bartow 54D and 55F (washed back a class due to ear infection).

About the T6, nobody mentions the thrill of open cockpit flying. Lots of T6 memories and that is one of the best for me.

Here are some instructors I had or knew: Joe Sturgess (he changed the course of my life), Mr. Dow, Kendall, Cox (who did his damndess to wash everybody, especially me. One's first name was Dick but I can't recall his last. It's been a long time ago.

Was the Sundown still there in your day? Behind it was a beautiful orange grove. Vacationed there 20 years later and saw that both the Sundown and orange grove had become parking lots.

Carl Odom
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

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I took my basic flight training in 1968 in the Portuguese Air Force and this fellow was my plane. Later when I was in Angola I flew two of the T6 from South Africa Air Force from Cuito to Luanda, a formation of 12 planes following a DC3. Great fun.

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The South African Air Force flew a large number of the Harvards well into the 1990's, as basic trainers. Nobody got to fly a Mirage without going through basic flying in a tail-dragger! When the first REAL air show was held in Pretoria in 1995, the closing display consisted of a whole bunch of Harvards flying over the air base in a "75" formation, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the SA Air Force. (2nd oldest Air Force in the world, right after the Royal Air Force!)

Back in about 1976, I was servicing equipment at the Flying Training School at Dunottar, some 70 km east of Pretoria. It was winter, and there was a fallow corn field right next to the runway. One of the student pilots goofed and put the plane down in the ploughed-up field, and promptly ground-looped it. Everything disappeared in a cloud of red dust. After a couple of minutes the rookie and the instructor came out through the cloud of dust, unharmed. A tractor was dispatched to tow the plane back to the hangar, where it was cleaned up and it was back in the air the next day! That wooden-framed, metal-skinned fuselage was tougher than one might imagine!

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We flew the well worn T6's at Malden, MO in Air Force pilot class 56Q. It was an enjoyable challenge; no ground loops!

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I loved the T-6! I took basic at Malden, MO in 53B at contract Air Force Flight School. My instructor was Carl Edmison, a great guy and instructor. I was last to solo as his five students were chosen alphabetically. So after 18 hours believe it or not,he turned me loose. On my first instructional flight I made the takeoff with his vocal instruction from the back seat. After I soloed, I was a confirmed air bear. We did our grass strip practice flights out of a small field where final approach was over a corn field with strong thermals, so the
final was steep and our radio comments were always relative to "kinda rough
over the corn field today!" We were flying the G model and my fun flights were up over Sikeston, MO to 10K altitude when I would kick the bird into a
13 turn spin or so. Our first night cross country round robin was to Paducha,
KY, where I got my first taste of vertigo as the lights on the ground and the
stars blended together on that dark night. I quickly learned to trust my instruments.
After Malden I transferred to Goodfellow AFB at San Angelo, TX for advanced and instrument training in the G. Getting checked out there I had a nervous
Lt. Luigi Nyswander who used to take his dog up in the back seat! He was very nervous with students and flew with the rear canopy open and his scarf
streaming out in the slip stream! Anyhow Luigi told me I was not coordinated
in my turns and refused to check me out. So I was given to a check pilot who
passed me immediately with the comment Luigi would rather tool around in
his Jaguar with his dog than fly with students! We were doing the double 180
patterns to make us tigers. Well some guy flying a buddy rides in the front seat while a student flew under the hood tried to show he was a tiger and would pull many Gs on the break pitch out to land. One day, a real tiger did a
very tight pitchout on the break and popped many rivets on both wings! We
all got a lecture on pitchout safety! Another time. the pitchout was into the
windward side and another tiger did not allow enough room for the final turn
and snap rolled on final which turned out to be his and his rear seat buddy's
final turn! They were both killed! I was returning to land and as I turned final they were just cleaning up the wreck. That week class 53A quit flight school en masse! While there we sometimes landed so our taxi back to the ramp was cross country over the grass infield, so we loved to "air taxi" in the three
point position to test our skills. I really enjoyed the Texan. From Goodbuddy
I went to Webb AFB, Big Spring, TX, into another bird I enjoyed- the Lockheed T-33. But that's another long story!

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