Highland Lakes Squadron CAF

Hangar Dinner and Dance Saturday November 14, 2026 Starts at 6:30 PM

PT-19 Cornell

In the late 1930s, using his own money, Sherman Fairchild funded the design of an aircraft to satisfy the US Army Air Corps' call for a primary trainer. Among other requirements the plane was to be built largely from non-strategic materials such as wood and fabric although the frame is steel tubing. Fairchild called the plane the M-62.

In 1939 the M-62 won a fly-off against 17 other designs and went into production in 1940 as the AAC's primary trainer with the designation PT-19. In addition to Fairchild, Aeronca, Howard Aircraft, St. Louis Aircraft, and, in Canada, Fleet Aircraft also built PT-19s. Power was provided by a 180 hp., and later by a 200 hp., six cylinder, inverted, in-line, air-cooled engine manufactured by Ranger. When Ranger could not build engines in sufficient quantities, Fairchild installed a Continental radial engine. The result became the PT-23. A variant with enclosed cockpits, known as the PT-26, was built for the Canadian Air Force and later used by the USAAF. All versions were called Cornells. In addition to the US and Canada, PT-19/23/26s were used by Great Britain, Norway, Rhodesia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Chile. A total of 7,742 were built. After the war, most were sold as surplus.

The PT-19 in our hangar is owned by the Commemorative Air Force. It was built in 1942 in Canada as a PT-26 and assigned serial number 42-65935 by Fleet Aircraft. It entered service with the RCAF in 1943. In 1956 it was issued a civilian Airworthiness Certificate. It was last flown in 1989. The Highland Lakes Squadron transported the plane from Headquarters CAF Midland in 2005, where it was on static display, to our hangar in December of that same year. This aircarft is restored without the canopy thus the reference to it as a PT-19. The Squadron is nearing the end of this twenty year restoration and hopes to have the plane flying later in 2025.

Specifications

Name: Fairchild PT-19

N-Number: N6072C

Mfg. Date: 1939

Wingspan: 36 ft. 0 in.

Length: 27 ft. 8.5 in.

Height: 7 ft. 5 in.

Weight: 2736 lbs loaded

Armament: None

Engine: Ranger L-440, 200 hp.

Crew: Two

Cost new: $15,400