 |
|
|
|
| NORTH AMERICAN (AT-6D) “Texan”
O NORTH AMERICAN AT-6D é um avião com capacidade para dois tripulantes, destinado ao treinamento avançado. Voou pela primeira vez (NA-16) em 1935, sendo produzidos mais de 17.000 aparelhos de vários modelos, a partir de 1939. Foi usado como caça, interceptador, caça-bombardeiro, controle aéreo avançado e antiguerrilha, na Segunda Guerra Mundial e nas Guerras da Coréia e do Vietnã. A Força Aérea Brasileira utilizou esses aviões em missões de treinamento avançado, tiro, bombardeio, patrulha e demonstração aérea, de 1942 a 1976. O exemplar em exposição (matrícula FAB 1262) foi desativado e entregue ao Museu Aeroespacial em 1991. |
|
 |
Especificações Técnicas
Fabricante: North American Aviation, Inc. – Estados Unidos da América Motor: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN1 de 550 h.p., radial de 9 cilindros Comprimento: 8,8 m Envergadura: 12,9 m Altura: 3,5 m Peso Vazio: 1.888 kg Velocidade Máxima: 331 km/h Alcance: 1.200 km Link |
 |
O North American T-6D foi o primeiro avião utilizado pela Esquadrilha da Fumaça. É uma aeronave de treinamento avançado que foi empregada por quase todos os países aliados durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, merecendo figurar ao lado do Douglas C-47 (DC-3) como um dos melhores aviões já projetados. O T-6 serviu à FAB por 34 anos, sendo fabricado sob licensa no Brasil entre 1946 e 1951 na fábrica de aviões de Lagoa Santa, MG. No total, 81 unidades foram produzidas em Lagoa Santa, somando-se ao total mundial de 15.495 aviões. |
 |
O North American teve excepcional destaque na Fumaça, efetuando 1.270 apresentações ao longo de 23 anos, e estando em todos os Estados brasileiros, além de vários países como Uruguai, Paraguai, Argentina, Guiana, Venezuela, Panamá e Guatemala. Devem ser ressaltados alguns feitos importantes realizados pela Esquadrilha com o T-6: Várias exibições foram realizadas com 7 aeronaves em formação, com grande brilhantismo, apesar do alto grau de dificuldade devido à sua performance, exigindo sempre o máximo do piloto; No Rio de Janeiro foram feitas algumas demonstrações noturnas; Na viagem à Bolívia foi atingida a maior altitude - 18.000 pés - quando da travessia da Cordilheira dos Andes. |
 |
Uma prova da robustez e eficiência do T-6 é o fato de até hoje ele ser empregado em demonstrações acrobáticas, executando manobras de precisão e alta performance em vários cantos do planeta. Nos Estados Unidos, por exemplo, existe o "North American Team", esquadrilha de T-6 que realiza acrobacias com as aeronaves em formação. Aqui no Brasil, o "Circo Aéreo" (ex-Onix) utiliza 3 North American T-6 em demonstrações acrobáticas, e possui uma quarta aeronave em restauração. |
 |
No Rio de Janeiro, os moradores das proximidades do Campo dos Afonsos são constantemente brindados com exibições do "mito" Cel. Braga em seu T-6 pintado nas cores originais da antiga Fumaça. Quem visitar o Museu Aeroespacial pode ter o privilégio de ver (e ouvir...) de perto esta espetacular aeronave, comandada por seu maior piloto e recordista mundial em horas voadas. O Museu ainda possui uma aeronave em condições de vôo, nas cores da antiga AFA, e outras duas em exposição. Link |
 |
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s. Designed by North American Aviation, The T-6 is known by a variety of designations depending on the model and operating air force. The USAAC designated it as the "AT-6", the US Navy the "SNJ", and British Commonwealth air forces, the Harvard, the name it is best known by outside of the United States. It remains a popular warbird aircraft. |
 |
Development |
 |
Three BC-2 aircraft were built before the shift to the "advanced trainer" designation, AT-6, which was equivalent to the BC-1A. The differences between the AT-6 and the BC-1 were new outer wing panels with a swept forward trailing edge, squared-off wingtips and a triangular rudder, producing the definitive Texan appearance. After a change to the rear of the canopy, the AT-6 was designated the Harvard II for RAF/RCAF orders and 1,173 were supplied by purchase or Lend Lease, mostly operating in Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. Next came the AT-6A which was based on the NA-77 design and was powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-49 Wasp radial engine. The USAAF received 1,549 and the US Navy 270 (as the SNJ-3). The AT-6B was built for gunnery training and could mount a .30 in machine gun on the forward fuselage. It used the R-1340-AN-1 engine, which was to become the standard for the remaining T-6 production. Canada's Noorduyn Aviation built an R-1340-AN-1-powered version of the AT-6A, which was supplied to the USAAF as the AT-16 (1,500 aircraft) and the RAF/RCAF as the Harvard IIB (2,485 aircraft), some of which also served with the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Canadian Navy. |
 |
In late 1937 Mitsubushi purchased two NA-16s as technology demonstrators and possibly a licence to build more. However, the aircraft developed by Watanabe/Kyushu as the K10W1 (Allied code name Oak) bore no more than a superficial resemblance to the North American design. It featured a full monocoque fuselage as opposed to the steel tube fuselage of the T-6 and NA-16 family of aircraft, as well as being of smaller dimensions overall and had no design details in common with the T-6. It was used in very small numbers by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1942 onwards. After the war the Japanese Air Self Defense Force operated Texans. |
 |
Subsequently the NA-121 design with a completely clear rearmost section on the canopy, gave rise to 25 AT-6F Texans for the USAAF and 931, as the SNJ-6 for the US Navy. The ultimate version, the Harvard 4, was produced by Canada Car and Foundry during the 1950s, and supplied to the RCAF, USAF and Bundeswehr. A total of 15,495 T-6s of all variants were built. |
 |
Operational history During the Korean War and, to a lesser extent, the Vietnam war, T-6s were pressed into service as forward air control aircraft. These aircraft were designated T-6 "Mosquitos".[1] No. 1340 Flight RAF used the Harvard in Kenya against the Mau Mau in the 1950s, where they operated with 20 lb bombs and machine guns against the gangs. Some operations took place at altitudes around 20,000 ft above mean sea level. A Harvard was the longest-serving RAF aeroplane, with an example, taken on strength in 1945, still serving in the 1990s (as a chase plane for helicopter test flights - a role for which the Shorts Tucano's high stall speed was ill-suited). The T-6G was also used in a light attack or counter insurgency role by France during the Algerian war in special Escadrilles d'Aviation Légère d'Appui (EALA), armed with machine guns, bombs and rockets. At its peak, there were 38 EALAs active. The largest unit was the Groupe d'Aviation Légère d'Appui 72, which consisted of up to 21 EALAs. From 1961 to 1975, Portugal, also, used hundreds of T-6G in the counter insurgency role during the Portuguese Colonial War. During this war, almost all the Portuguese Air Force bases and air fields in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea had a detachment of T-6Gs. In 1957-58, the Spanish Air Force used T-6 as COIN aircraft in the Ifni War, armed with machine guns, iron bombs and rockets, achieving an excellent reputation due to its reliability, safety record and resistance to damage. |
 |
Since the Second World War, the T-6 has been a regular participant at air shows, and was used in many movies. For example, in Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Final Countdown, converted single-seat T-6s painted in Japanese markings represent Mitsubishi Zeroes, whereas in A Bridge too Far it represented the razorback Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The New Zealand Warbirds "Roaring 40s" aerobatic team use ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force Harvards. The Reno National Air Races also has a class specifically for the T-6 during the National Air Races each year. |
 |
Due mainly to the United Nations arms embargo against South Africa's Apartheid policies, T-6s remained in service with the South African Air Force as a basic trainer until 1995, when they were replaced by Pilatus PC-7MkII turboprop trainers. |
 |
T-6 Texan variants T-6D AT-6D re-designated in 1948 including 35 re-builds with new serial numbers. Link |
 |
|
| JRLucariny Video: Esquadrilha da Fumaça |
