CFPNA : Restauration d'un NAT-6D de Craig Field.

PROJET DE RESTAURATION D'UN NORTH AMERICAN T-6D.

(CR 528 - Serial Number 42-85696)

"We are restoring a 1944 North American AT-6D that was at Craig Field in 1945 and 1946. The French pilots probably flew this airplane. This aicraft is now owned by Captain Gary Allen of Lake Stevens, Washington. Gary is a Northwest Airlines 747 pilot.

I purchased this aircraft in 1986 in very poor condition. The previous owner had not taken care of the aircraft at all. I owned this aircraft from 1986 to 2002. Most of this time was spent doing the initial mechanical restoration work (replacing worn out parts, making many repairs, rebuilding the engine and propeller, etc.). During that time I also conducted my research on the history of this aircraft and found all of the original radios and other original equipment from all over the United States. It took me ten years to find all of these old historical parts. I had completed enough mechanical work to fly the aircraft in 1993-1994, but none of the historical restoration had been started at this time.

When I retired from my job as an engineer, I could not afford to keep this aircraft any longer so I sold the project to my friend Captain Allen. Since selling the aircraft to Gary, I have continued to work with him to complete the historical restoration. Both Gary and I have done much work on this aircraft since he bought it in 2002. To correctly finish the restoration, much of the aircraft had to be disassembled to paint the correct colors. The entire cockpit was disassembled to paint the correct colors and install the original radios and other original equipment

We are following original North American Aviation engineering drawings to restore this aircraft just as it came from the factory in 1944. It will have a complete set of correct 1944 instruments, radios, intercom system, oxygen system, instrument flying hood, and all other original equipment. We are trying to make this aircraft look as close as possible to the way it did in 1944 - 1945 at Craig Field" by John Meyer (Bellevue Washington WA).

L' équipe de John Meyer (Bellevue, Washington WA) a entrepris la restauration d'un North American T-6D qui a été utilisé en instruction à Craig Field (Alabama) entre 1945 et 1946. Les pilotes Français ont probablement volé sur cet avion (CR-528)

Elle recherche des plans originaux du constructeur North American Aviation pour restaurer cet avion tel qu'il était à la sortie d'usine en 1944. Il sera doté d'un panel complet d'instruments d'époque, radios, système d'intercommunication, système d'oxygène, ainsi que tous autres équipement d'origine. Nous souhaitons que cet avion ressemble aussi précisément que possible au standard qu'il avait entre 1944 - 1945 à Craig Field.

Avec l'aimable autorisation de Mr John Meyer.

Pour confirmer l'hypothèse de John Meyer, deux vues du North American T6-D en vol au dessus de l'Alabama portant le N° CR 529 (CR = indicatif de Craig Field) soit un numéro près que celui en cours de restauration.

Un "Roll Out" ayant permis de tester le moteur Wright en étoile et les principaux circuits hydrauliques a été réalisé dans le courant le hiver 2005. Le nouveau "premier vol" de ce NAT-6D sorti des usines de North American Aviation en 1942, a été effectué avec succés en Février 2006. Well done !.

  
 
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