AT-6 Harvard Texan SNJ-4 Trainer

More American combat pilots trained in this single-engine tandem seater than in any other WW II trainer. Designed in the late 1930s, it was still being used in the Korean War on spotter missions. Known to the U.S. Air Force as a Texan, the Navy as an SNJ, and the British and Canadians as a Harvard, this low-cost trainer had high speed fighter characteristics. Almost 600 of the nearly 17,000 AT-6s built for the military are still flying today.

This widely used trainer has many names and you see them often still flying-especially at airshows. The growl of the 600hp P&W radial is wonderful to hear. This is one model you'll really love and quite colorful to hang from the ceiling.

Harvard (named after the American university) was produced as an export version of the AT-6 Texan advanced trainer. It became the standard advanced trainer for the BCATP in Canada and the RAF in England. It was utilized to train thousands of Commonwealth pilots in preparation for combat flying in fighters and fighter-bombers. The Harvard was well suited to its training role, as it had enough bad habits to teach inexperienced pilots to respect their future high-performance fighters. The RCAF kept the Harvard on strength as a trainer until 1966. The distinctive snarl of the Harvard has long been a familiar sound in the Canadian skies and is produced by its propeller tips approaching sonic speeds when in fine pitch a high rpm.

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Purchase Information $4.95 (model comes in 2 sizes) and 2 Versions thanks to Guido Van Roy! Back to Trainers

(L to R).. Navy SNJ and FAC version by Rob Carleen.
Instructions and a BW version are included with the model

What people say... hi Chip! Just thought I would let you know how I feel about the Texan model....it really needs to be redesigned! The wings just do not fit properly into the wing "slot"! I tried getting some help on the Forum, even saw the photos, but I still could not figure out how it was meant to go together. Too bad as it would be a really fine model otherwise. Doug (4/07) Doug Really...Thanks for your email. Although no one has ever complained about that model, it IS pretty old and should be re-drawn as you say..We'll move it higher up the list. YMP chip (see below) I just read on the FG website that "Doug 4/07" was having trouble with under- standing how the Texan wing assembly attaches. For an IPMS competition back in 2005 I constructed your FG Texan uncolored version to offset constant "That's Paper?" remarks heard at the monthly meetings. I removed my old FG Texan model from storage, decided it was still in good shape, and took four snap shots thinking they might help Doug if you would forward them. Thanks, Bob Penikas I love your drawings and was hooked after downloading and building the free Texan SNJ (large) plans. What a great model. After about 2 and a half hours, and with a plug of Plasticine as a propeller spinner, it actually flies! Here's my daughter Tara, 8, modeling the SNJ. Wade

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