North American Harvard NA-26 NA-44
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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The North American Harvard appeared in 1937, in response to a US Air Corps proposal for an advanced trainer. The first of 50 Harvard Mk. Is ordered by the Canadian Government were delivered to RCAF Sea Island, BC in July 1939. By early 1940, the Mk. II was being assembled in California with an all metal fuselage replacing the original tube and fabric structure. 1200 Mk. IIs were supplied from US sources, until Canadian built Harvards started being produced in 1941.
In August 1938, Noorduyn Aviation of Montreal farsightedly signed an agreement with North American, to build the Harvard under licence. When the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) came into being in December 1939, Noorduyn received its first orders and went on to produce nearly 2800 Harvard Mk. IIBs for the RCAF and the RAF, between 1940 and 1945. In Canada, Harvard Mk. IIBs were used as advanced trainers with the BCATP at fifteen Service Flying Training Schools across the nation. They helped pilots make to the transition from low powered primary trainers, like Fleet Finch or the de Havilland Tiger Moth, to high performance front line fighters such as the Spitfire.
At the end of WW II, although the RCAF retained the Harvard as a trainer, a large number of them were sold off to civilian operators. The RCAF soon regretted this, for by 1949 the Cold War with the Soviet Union was in full swing and the RCAF urgently needed trainers again. 100 T-6J Texans were leased temporarily from the USAF and a further 270 Harvards, the Mk. IV version, were ordered from Canadian Car & Foundry, Thunder Bay. The RCAF used the Harvard Mk. IV for a further fifteen years, before finally retiring it in 1966.
A total of 20,110 Harvards were built between 1938 and 1954, 3,370 of them in Canada. Countless numbers of privately owned Harvards are still flying today.
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Harvard Mk. IV was built by Canadian Car & Foundry, Thunder Bay, Ontario in late 1951. The aircraft saw service at four RCAF flying schools across the nation until it was sold to a civilian owner in 1965. It was the third aircraft to join the Museum after Dennis Bradley, Alan Ness and John Weir donated it in 1973. Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Wikipedia Harvard Advanced Trainer
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF Owned (2196) RCAF 400 Squadrons (7) Canadian Crewed (374) Canadian Manufactured (3400) RCN (3) Canadian Museum (4) Cold Weather Testing (1)Harvard Mk.II 2739
Served with No. 32 Service Flying Training School at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Category A damage on 24 November 1943 while with No. 37 SFTS at Calgary, Alberta. Mid-air with Harvard 2566, crashed north of Wood Lake,Alberta. Student pilot Pilot Officer J. Brown of the UK killed.1941-01-03 Taken on Strength 2019-08-20
1943-July-01 Accident: 37 Service Flying Training School Loc: Delacour Names: Crowder | Howe
1943-November-24 Accident: 37 Service Flying Training School Loc: Woodlake Names: Anderson | Brown | Lewis
1944-01-07 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares. 2019-08-20
Harvard 2566
Harvard Mk.II 2566
Category C damage on 12 March 1941, while at No. 32 Service Flying Training School at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Mid-air on 24 November 1943 with Harvard 2739, which crashed. 2566 forced landed 1/2 mile east of Wood Lake, Alberta, repaired and returned to service. With No. 37 SFTS, Calgary, Alberta at that time. Converted to wireless trainer on 6 April 1944. Had 3150:20 airframe time when struck off.1940-09-23 Taken on Strength 2019-08-20
1941-March-12 Accident: 32 Service Flying Training School Loc: Bethune Saskatchewan Names: Cox
1941-March-14 Accident: 32 Service Flying Training School Loc: Bethune Saskatchewan Names: Cox
1941-June-10 Accident: 32 Service Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Morrell
1942-May-28 Accident: 32 Service Flying Training School Loc: Moose Jaw Names: Parfitt
1943-January-06 Accident: 34 Service Flying Training School Loc: Medicine Hat Alberta Names: Hope | O'Bryen-nichols
1943-November-24 Accident: 37 Service Flying Training School Loc: Woodlake Names: Anderson | Brown | Lewis
1960-10-18 Struck off Strength Struck off, to Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for sale. 2019-08-20