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Description
| Manufacturer: | Fairchild | |
| Base model: | PT-23 | |
| Designation: | PT-23 | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1925-1947 | |
| Basic role: | Primary Trainer | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Castle Air Museum | Atwater | California |
Recent comments by our visitors
| George McClellan SAN GABRIEL, CA | To Patricia Stuckey - I do not remember your father, sorry. I believe I graduated about six months before him. It was not a glorious place - some classrooms being in tar papered wood structures and there were no living facilities so students found rooms around town, mostly in private homes. One tended to have limited contact with students outside one's own class. That does not mean that there are no good memories about it, though. ~ George McClellan 09/25/2015 @ 09:58 [ref: 69254] |
| Elizabeth Daggit Haynes Springfield, VA | Just today I discovered your Web site, and read George Mclellan's comment about NOT bailing out of a PT-23 when he was caught in a spin. Well, I never experienced an accidental spin, but I DID bail out of my PT-23 when a gas leak caught fire. That's a rather long story about guardian angels paying split-second attention. My friend who was flying the plane ordered me to jump. He didn't have a parachute, and dove back to our home field and landed with 2nd degree burns, and no fabric on the fuselage at all. With much volunteer help, my "Firebird" was repaired, and I flew it several more years. Much later, my friend retired as a senior captain on Eastern Airlines. 09/17/2015 @ 07:09 [ref: 69249] |
| Patricia Stuckey , IL | This isn't a comment about the plane, I'm afraid. Tonight I was going through some of my Dad's things (he passed away 19 years ago)and I found a book where he had written down different high points in his life. On the list was an August 5, 1947 graduation From Curry Mechanics School in Galesburg. I typed that info in to see if I could find out any more about this school and this forum came up with George McClellan's post at the top. How wonderful! Flying was my Dad's joy in life and I am just wondering if Mr. McClellan might remember my father, Kenneth Roberson? Thank you, Patty Stuckey
07/14/2013 @ 17:12 [ref: 67948] |
| Patricia Stuckey , IL | This isn't a comment about the plane, I'm afraid. Tonight I was going through some of my Dad's things (he passed away 19 years ago)and I found a book where he had written down different high points in his life. On the list was an August 5, 1947 graduation From Curry Mechanics School in Galesburg. I typed that info in to see if I could find out any more about this school and this forum came up with George McClellan's post at the top. How wonderful! Flying was my Dad's joy in life and I am just wondering if Mr. McClellan might remember my father, Kenneth Roberson? Thank you, Patty Stuckey
07/14/2013 @ 17:12 [ref: 67947] |
| George McClellan San Gabriel, CA | In 1947, taking flight training at Curry School of Mechanics in Galesburg Illinois, I was doing spins at about 6,000 ft AGL. I was getting lazy and not paying attention to everything I was supposed to, and got sloppy. While entering a spin to the left, stick full back but off center to the left(realized that after recovery), kicked rudder, fell off into a spin, counted the farmhouse three times, did the recovery moves and kept spinning. A couple more attempts and I was still spinning, but the nose was not full down as it normally was in a spin. Not quite flat, but approaching it. Several more attempts, and finally I held full forward stick, full right rudder and added full power. I recovered at 1100 AGL. I believe that adverse yaw, which it had in gross amounts, caused the right wing (still flying) to haul the nose up. I wonder about the airplane's accident record in the USAAF. How many spun in flat? We soloed from the front cockpit. Compass was in the rear cockpit. Was the pilot position changed from rear to front because it was thought that the problem was aft c.g.? One more thing. In the excitement I had forgot that I was wearing a chute, which might have saved my life. I don't know how successful a jump might have been. Does anyone have any input? 04/25/2013 @ 17:19 [ref: 67761] |
| Jason , AZ | I'm in the latter stages of restoring a pt-23 at the moment, all original hand cranked, no generator or lights, even hand held radios and butt chutes. Know any PT experts I can contact with questions and parts inquiries? Thanks! silentgi77@gmail.com 02/26/2013 @ 15:11 [ref: 67620] |
| Thomas Klitch Jacksonville, FL | My father bought a PT-23 after the war from the USA in chicago about 1947 for $1.00 ( still have the receipt), he flew it for over 15 yrs. I still remember all the time spent redoing the outer skin and replacing the wing frame which had rotted. The engine still survies near south haven, mi used to keep frost off grapes.It as a plane last flew in 1964 04/03/2012 @ 08:01 [ref: 54734] |
| Robert Lower Mustang, OK | I purchased a share of a PT-23 in the early 1960's. We re-placed the original engine with an original Stearman engine, same type of engine. I flew it about 100 hours. MY favorite trip was from old National City Aiport (CA) to a old WW 2 base east of Yuma to visit a friend of my cousin.I picked him up in Yuma. Unfortunately, two owners were killed in it in the mid 60's near Jacumba, CA after and engine failure over a ground fog.I left the club just before that due to a disagreement about how the plane was being maintained. I was never fortunate enough to find another one although I almost bought a Cornell in Canada i n the 70's. However, couldn't afford the rebuild cost. Wish I had that opportunity again. 01/22/2011 @ 13:13 [ref: 35853] |
| Tony Anger Gilbert, AZ | My first lessons were in my dad's PT-23. He and a friend bought it in MN and flew it until he and crashed in it in 1971. It was N1113 and my dad always hated the n number because of the 13 in it. I never thought much about it until we crashed. It was a very good basic aerobatic plane and my dad actually won the sprotsman championship in the IAC competition held at Chesepeake Bay airport close to Annapolis, MD.
It was flown regually at the Flying Circus Aerodrome the first year. We were taking off from the Flying Circus on a Saturday, we had stopped to see Charlie Kulp, the famous Flying Farmer. We surmised that the fabric on the tips of the prop came lose and redered the prop about 80% inefeciant. We crashed trying to get back to the field landing in the parking lot. We got out with scrapes and bruises but the primer line broke spilling fuel on the hot engine and it was a total loss in a matter of minutes. It was a fun plane and sorely missed. 12/02/2007 @ 17:45 [ref: 18766] |
| Kent Rodebaugh , CO | As a CAP cadet and aviation nut at the age of 17 I bought a PT23 in Eugene, Oregon for $550.00. It had been slightly modified with the addition of a cowling on the engine. It flew beautifully for the year I owned it. Then reality set in. I realized all the money I had saved for college was tied up in my beautiful plane! Regretfully, I sold it, losinf $60.00 on the deal, but have wondered all these years what became of it.
I have a photo of it somewhere, but apparently don't remember the registration number correctly. I tried looking it up in a registry, but was told that registration number belonged to a DC3. 11/06/2007 @ 11:49 [ref: 18426] |
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