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                          Photo Album (4 photos) |
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Serial: 07-144, RCAF 3275 1 550 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340-AN-1 air cooled radial Maximum speed 212 mph Service ceiling: 21,500 ft. Empty weight: 4,158 lbs. Loaded weight: 5,617 lbs. Span 42' 0" One of the museum's most impressive artifacts is a North American Harvard Mk II donated by Dr. Gordon Potter. It is one of the Canadian built Mk. IIB models, built by Noorduyn Aviation in Montreal. The original civil registration was CF-MGI for many years. C-FGME has been on Langley field for about 8 years, and Dr. Potter purchased if from previous owner Brian Beard. In the mid-1980's the Harvard had belonged to Dr. Rolf Yri who used the call letters YRI. It went to the U.S. for a short time before being brought back to Canada. The letters YRI are still located on the side of the plane. General Information The first Harvard MkII used by the RCAF was delivered to Camp Borden in the summer of 1940. It was an anglicized version of the AT-6A (American Harvard), the differences were the lengthened exhaust stack, a fixed rear canopy section, the instrument panel was altered and the control column was in the British style. The MkII was also fitted with the capability to hold a .303 calibre air operated machine gun on the starboard wing and a cine-camera in the port wing, with a gun-sight for the front cockpit. The plane was equipped with hardpoints under the wings in order to carry 8 practice bombs. The N.A. Harvard Mk.II was one of the most important single engine training aircraft of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. After WWII the Mk.II Harvard was relegated to armament training and reserve squadron use, as the more modern Mk.IV came along. At the end of WWII, Harvard Mk.II's were used for Naval training in Nova Scotia. The approval for a Canadian Fleet Air Arm was not given by the government of the day until 1946. So, in January of 1947 Harvard Mk.II's began arriving in Dartmouth Nova Scotia for their stint as training aircraft for the newly formed Canadian Naval Air Arm. Much of the training was on gunnery exercises to prepare pilots for the deflection shots necessary with the gyro gun-sight of the Seafire. Trained pilots were needed for 2 Carrier Air Groups, so a formal training school was set up. Harvard Mk.II's were the planes chosen again for the training task. The course was similar to the one used to train RCAF pilots, with the exception of gunnery and formation training which was done on Seafires. Photo: Dennis Cardy | |
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