Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.
Today’s Top Pick is a 1941 North American AT-6D Texan.
North American turned out more than 17,000 AT-6 Texans and variants like the SNJ Harvard, mostly for advanced training during World War II. But the airplane’s career would continue long after the war, arguably to this day. Indeed, for many pilots the AT-6 remains the most effective preparation for those who want to fly high-performance tailwheel fighters.
Like many AT-6s, the airplane for sale here has been restored and upgraded in certain ways to keep pace with the changing demands of modern general aviation. Still, lifting off in this sturdy, 600 hp machine, retracting the gear and adjusting power settings is sure to transport modern pilots back to the early 1940s, when this airplane was the last stop before stepping into a thoroughbred fighter to fly combat missions.
My fondest AT-6 memory is of a family friend and career airline pilot who also owned one of the trainers and flew it regularly. We were members of the same radio-control model airplane club during the 1980s. One Sunday he circled our busy club field in a rural part of New Jersey. We loved the sweet sound of that radial engine. As he departed he performed a beautiful barrel roll—not something I would try today, but an absolute thrill at the time. We all cheered.
This 1941 AT-6D has 870 hours on the airframe, 280 hours on its Pratt & Whitney R1340 engine and 100 hours since overhaul on the Hamilton Standard propeller. The panel includes an Apollo 360 GPS, King KX 170B nav/com with KI 214 glideslope and Narco AT 50 transponder, uAvionics WingX ADS-B beacon and Sigtronics 200 intercom. Special features include a smoke system for potential airshow performances.
Pilots looking for an exciting warbird experience, invitations to airshows, or a stepping stone to flying frontline vintage fighters like P-51 Mustangs and F8F Bearcats, should consider building time in this 1941 North American AT-6D Texan, which is available for $210,000 on AircraftForSale.
You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.
- FLYING Magazine: The T-6 Texan
- The Aviation Consumer: Warbird Ownership: Respect Required
- The Aviation Consumer: Off The Beaten Path: Vintage Aircraft
