1943 Fairchild PT-26B Cornell

The Fairchild PT-19 series of airplanes, though first flown in 1939, was a profoundly modern airplane for its time. A monoplane extensively optimized for ease of training, the Allied forces ultimately had more than 7,700 of them built across all variants.

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While Fairchild Aircraft had moved its headquarters to Hagerstown, MD by the time that the PT-19 family of airplanes were designed, it was founded in Farmingdale, NY. Along with a litany of other companies, Fairchild is a large part of the rich aviation manufacturing heritage of New York.

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The PT-19 was originally an open-cockpit airplane, so the Royal Canadian Air Force requested an enclosed version to better handle winter weather, and the PT-26 was born. PT-26s were also fitted with equipment that could be used to train pilots to fly in inclement weather. The Fairchild PT family of airplanes became known as the "Cradle of Heroes," as it was the first step that many Allied pilots took on their path to the legendary fighters and bombers that won glory around the world. Because the Fairchilds were not easily converted for post-war use, they're now fairly rare, with just 100 or so airworthy examples remaining. We are proud to operate our airplane as "living history," a flying memorial to the men and women who served the nation in its most desperate time of need.

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Our airplane is a 1943 Fairchild PT-26B Cornell, one of just 250 built. Manufactured by Fleet Aircraft of Fort Erie, ON, she was originally assigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces, in whose colors she has been restored. However, this PT-26, serial number FZ318, was almost immediately given to the Royal Canadian Air Force via the Lend-Lease Program, where she was used to train pilot cadets. After the war, FZ318 made her way to the U.S. starting in 1946 and spent time with a wide variety of private owners before being restored in the mid-2000s and purchased by the CAF Wisconsin Wing in 2012.

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The Wisconsin Wing chose to return the airplane to CAF Headquarters in 2023, and our then-nascent New York Wing sprung into action to return the PT-26 to service after a multi-year hiatus. In April 2024, our team installed a new engine and conducted a thorough inspection of the airplane, before returning her to the New York Wing base at Poughkeepsie in June.