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Hope this helps?!?!?!?!?

Posted by Mike Henniger on Wed Feb 12, 2003 06:06:36 PM

In reply top USAF Museum PT-26 posted by Tony Broadhurst on Wed Feb 12, 2003 05:23:55 PM

I am drinking from a firehose of information here. Thanks!

Are you a Cornell family expert?

Mike




: Mike, in answer to your inquiry below:
:
: Strictly speaking the PT-26 displayed at the USAF Museum i
: s actually a Fleet-built Cornell II. The c/no. is FC120 an
: d it was delivered to the RCAF in March 1943 as serial no.
: 10619.
:
: This Cornell is one of 251 Cornell II's (RCAF s/nos. 10500
: to 10750) built to an RCAF order by Fleet Aircraft Ltd. o
: f Fort Erie, Ontario. Though, all 670 Cornell I's (b.b. F
: airchild as PT-26) and a further 1057 Cornell II's (b.b. F
: leet as PT-26A and PT-26B) were supplied via Lend-Lease fu
: nds, this initial batch of 250 appears to be a direct RCAF
: order. I anticipate the only data plate will be the smal
: l Fleet plate on the roll-over pylon -- stamped: "CORNELL
: II FC120". As an example Cornell 10738 in the National A
: viation Museum at Rockcliffe has no USAAF acceptance plate
: and comes from the same batch.
:
: Although on charge to the RCAF, Cornell 10619 served at th
: e RAF's No. 34 Elementary Flying Training School at Assini
: boia, Saskatchewan. This unit trained mainly, but not exc
: lusively, RAF pilots shipped over from the UK. Fairchild
: Cornells began replacing the DH82C Tiger Moth at this unit
: during February 1943. 10619 suffered two minor accidents
: due to taxying collisions in May and July 1943. In Januar
: y 1944 the Assiniboia school was taken over by the RCAF an
: d renumbered No. 25 E.F.T.S., closing the following July.
:
: Two, probably three, fatal Cornell accidents (an Instructo
: r and a pupil pilot killed in each) at Assiniboia were due
: to jammed rudder pedals. Two more fatal accidents (4 kil
: led) here were due to structural failure of the wooden win
: gs and centre-section. The Cornells underwent modificati
: ons to overcome both problems.
:
: RCAF 10619 was sold in December 1946 and must have crossed
: the border to the USA . The next trace I have of FC120 i
: s as N2039A . Subsequently donated and ferried to the USA
: F Museum in it's current and inappropriate camouflage colo
: urs -- it should of course, be in RCAF trainer yellow.
:
: There are at least four ex #34/25 E.F.T.S. Cornells still
: active:
: Cornell Mk.I FH650 (N75463) is flying in PA and FH991 (N49
: 462) in MN;
: Cornell Mk.II 10618 (N103JC) is flying in NY State and 106
: 20 (N73677) in TN.
:
: Hope this helps, Tony Broadhurst

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