Canadian Cornell

During the late 1930s, it became obvious that the United States would have to acquire new aircraft to keep pace with the military build-up Eurpoe and the Far East. New training aircraft were needed in large numbers. At Fairchild Aircraft, designer Armand Thieblot created the Model 62 which was a tandem low wing monoplane that featured a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering and wood wings and tail. The craft was well proportioned and attractive.

In order to prevent student pilots from getting into deeps stalls followed by deadly spins, Thieblot created a wing that allowed the ailerons to remain effective in a stall, thus making stall recovery easier. Since Fairchild owned Ranger Engines, the aircraft was fitted with a six-cylinder in-line Ranger that developed 165-hp. The project was financed by the company and received the civil registration NX18689. First flown in 1938, the plane had built-up rear fuselage and enclosed canopy but went through numerous modifications that finally saw the M-62 fitted with tandem open cockpits and a more powerful Ranger fitted.

During mid-1939, Fairchild entered the plane in a trainer competition at Wright Field in a field that saw a stunning 16 other primary trainer designs entered. The M-62 beat the competition and Fairchild was awarded a contract for 270 planes which, interestingly, was the largest contract Fairchild had ever received. The new aircraft received the designation PT-19 and production examples were equipped with the Ranger L-440-1 of 175-horsepower.

The first production PT-19 was rolled out in February 1940 and production rapidly built with Fairchild producing two to three aircraft per day by the end of the year. Further orders came in and the PT-19A was equipped with a 200-hp Ranger for better performance. Fairchild rented or leased as many empty buildings in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area for storing parts and production of subassemblies. At the same time, the company was enjoying civil sales of the similar M-62A and 115 aircraft were completed.

With America's entry into the war, orders greatly increased and it was obvious that deliveries of the Ranger engine could not keep pace with production of airframes. A PT-19A airframe was mated with a Continental R670 radial that produced 220-hp, resulting in the XPT-23. Tests were successful and the PT-23 was ordered into production but Hagerstown was swamped with orders so other manufacturers were contracted to build the trainers under license. Aeronca Aircraft built 375 PT-23s and 620 PT19s while St. Louis Aircraft constructed 306 PT-23s and 44 PT-19s. Howard Aircraft built 349 PT-23s and Fleet Aviation in Canada constructed 93 PT-23s and 1057 FT-26A/Bs.

During 1942, Canada began receiving Fairchilds for training Allied pilots. Since the winters were so cold, a canopy was fitted and the type received the new designation PT-26. The Canadians also named the craft Cornell. Finished in bright yellow, the Fairchilds were a very common sight in the war-time Canadian skies.

With the end of the Second World War, there was no use for the thousands of PT-19/-23/-26 trainers and the types were shuffled off to storage yards and offered for sale. Prices were near giveaway and around $750 got the buyer a trainer of his choice. Thousands were sold and appeared on the civil register. However, time was not kind to the Fairchilds. Most were parked outside and subject to weather which caused havoc with the wooden portions of the structure while the Ranger was hungry for fuel. Over the years, the majority of the civil fleet simply rotted away and during the 1960s it was not uncommon to see the derelict Fairchilds parked in the weeds at almost every rural airport across America.

Today, the Fairchild series of trainers are highly collectible and Greg Herrick's Golden Wings Museum in Anoka, Minnesota, boasts four examples that include a PT-19, PT-23 and two PT-26s. Cornell N79185/RCAF 10679 was discovered in storage in pretty much the same condition as when it had been sold surplus. The majority of the original military equipment was still in the airframe and Greg purchased the craft and had it reconditioned by Joe and Mark Dienst in Pennsylvania - the acknowledged Fairchild experts. The resulting aircraft was an immediate award-winner and when not on display, the aircraft often visits airshows.

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. Oct 2001
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