Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Two-seat military trainer

Power Plant:

One 310 kw (420 hp) Wright R-975-E3 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

History:

The North American NA-64 was a low-wing monoplane fitted with a Wright radial engine aimed at the advanced trainer market and was ordered for the French Armee de l’Air and the French Aeronavale, eventually seeing extensive service with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the German Luftwaffe, the latter using aircraft captured on the fall of France.  A total of 230 examples was completed. It was developed from the North American BT-14 into the very successful North American Harvard / Texan series.

At the outbreak of war France required a variant of the BT-9, known as the NA-57, and to this end an order was placed for 230 of what became known as the NA-64.  It had a semi-monocoque rear fuselage, the Harvard canopy, a fixed undercarriage and the Wright R-975 engine.  It evolved from the NA-16 which was first flown in 1935. On the fall of France many of the NA-64s had not been assembled and they were taken over by the Luftwaffe. A unit was formed as A/B 116 at Goeppingen where a couple were used to train German pilots in the idiosyncracies of Allied aircraft but it seems none survived the war.  The others were used for training duties until a lack of spare parts forced their grounding.

However, the 119 that were not yet shipped were obtained by the RCAF. These had the French stencilling, instruments were re-calibrated, and they were placed into service. They were used extensively during World War II.  Power plant was the R-975 series. This engine was also used in a number of other aircraft as well as the Sherman military battle tank. They were used as advanced trainers initially but once sufficient numbers of Harvards became available they were relegated to wireless operator training, this involving the removal of equipment from the rear cockpit and fitting radio equipment of the type used on operational aircraft types.

A Yale survives in Australia and in 2015 was noted on Gumtree for sale at Maitland, NSW as a project for completion. This machine had the RCAF serial 3383 (BuAer 64-3037) and after completion was one of eight which, for a brief period from March to April 1941, was destined to serve with the Royal Navy. During its lifetime as a military trainer it is known to have made a number of forced landings and it is thought, as many Australian World War II pilots learned their trade in Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, that a number of Australians probably flew the aircraft.

This aircraft was built at the North American plant at Inglewood, California as part of an additional 30 aircraft to be built for the Royal Navy. However, it was taken over by the RCAF as 3383 in September 1940 with No 1 Service Flying Training School at Camp Borden, Ontario, and No 31 Service Flying Training School at Kingston, Ontario. Between April and August 1941 it is known to have suffered three ground loops causing category C damage. It later went to No 14 Service Flight Training School at Aylmer, Ontario and suffered an engine failure, crashing into trees on 6 August 1942. It was repaired by Noorduyn Aviation and was converted to Wireless Trainer at No 9 Repair Depot, St Jean, Quebec in February 1944. It then served with No 4 Wireless Training School at St Catharines, Ontario.

The type in its latter days, after serving as an intermediate pilot trainer, was then operated as a wireless radio trainer until it was retired in 1946 and sold for scrap. At retirement, this aircraft had flown 2,333 hours. It was then purchased by Amsco Ltd of Hamilton, Ontario and later obtained by Ernest V Simmons, a farmer of Tillsonburg, Ontario, who bought 39 examples of the Yale and held them in storage on his farm until his death in 1970. The aircraft, with others, was auctioned in May 2003 and bought by the Jack Taft Trust for restoration. This did not happen and the aircraft was obtained by an Australian from Cambridge Park, NSW but restoration was not completed at that time. Later this aircraft was placed in storage at Parafield, SA, until obtained by Reevers Warbirds of Adelaide, consideration being given to returning the aircraft to airworthiness.