Good afternoon from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan!
My name is Alex, and I have the honour of flying in a piece of Canadian aviation history
today!
A few weeks ago, I was invited by the folks here at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum to
go for a flight with them, in none other than an iconic North American Harvard!
The North American T-6 Texan, known in British Commonwealth nations as the “Harvard”,
is a two seat trainer aircraft that was developed in the late 1930s.
It provided a hugely critical role in training pilots during World War II, with nearly 20,000
airplanes built for the American and British Commonwealth air forces.
For the Royal Canadian Air Force, they were used as advanced trainers under the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and provided a stepping stone for pilots between lower-powered
aircraft and high performance fighters like the Spitfire.
During the war, nearly 2,800 Harvard Mark IIs were built under license in Canada for
the RCAF and RAF.
With the onset of the Cold War the following decade, a further 270 license-built Harvards
joined the RCAF, known as Harvard Mark 4s, which had a modified canopy and greater fuel
capacity.
That means that, from 1940 to 1955, almost every single American or British Commonwealth
pilot would have had some training on these planes, so the impact that the Harvard has
had on the entire world as we know it today really can’t be understated.
Powered by a single Pratt and Whitney R-1340-AN-1 Wasp air cooled radial engine with 600 horsepower,
the Harvard can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour!
This particular plane is a Harvard Mark IV, a post-war one built in 1952, and registered
as Charlie Foxtrot Whiskey X-ray Yankee.
It saw service with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1952 to 1966, and was based at
CFB Penhold (near Red Deer, Alberta), as well as CFB Trenton in Ontario.
It was eventually sold to a private owner in 1968, and later sold again in the early
80s to Tom Coates, who restored the aircraft, flew, and displayed it until 2006.
As one of the founding fathers of the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum, Tom sold the aircraft to
them in July of last year, where it’s been since, and where you can actually buy some
flights in the plane!
The museum is home to some genuinely amazing prairie aviation history, and along with the
Harvard, you can also buy some rides in a Tiger Moth!
Along with their static displays and the flying ones, they also have this De Havilland Tracker,
which just so happened to be doing a maintenance engine run while I was there!
As far as the Harvard goes, I was very much looking forward to hearing it for myself as
I climbed into the rear seat.
And yes, surprisingly enough, I do actually fit, and looking around the seat, it’s like
time just froze!
I’ve been going through my own flight training over the past few years, so being able to
get a glimpse at how it was done generations beforehand is an absolute honour and a privilege.
But I think that’s enough from me.
Please enjoy the amazing sound of this Pratt and Whitney Wasp as we depart Saskatoon, off
of runway 09.
This flight would be a relatively quick one over the city, but having never been to Saskatoon
before, and seeing as I drove here all the way from Calgary, I think this was the best
possible way to see all of it!
I even got a moment at the controls flying it on my own, which was a genuine treat.
I just couldn’t get over how it felt at the controls of something that was designed
over 80 years ago!
It’s just remarkable how solid the airplane feels though, and the controls are pretty
heavy.
Nothing at all like the 172 I’m used to!
My respect to the volunteers who fly and maintain these planes though - I understand it can
be tricky to handle on takeoff and landing.
But still, this whole experience was just incredible, and topped off with some gorgeous
views of downtown Saskatoon and the South Saskatchewan River, I was absolutely loving
this!
With a quick low approach for some views of Saskatoon’s resident F-28s, we were headed
back to the airport, and here’s our landing on runway 09.
Thank you so much again to the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum for this incredible radial-engine-filled
day!
I can’t tell you what an honour it was to ride in the Harvard and learn about just how
significant this airplane was.
Thank you all for watching, and I will see you next time.