New Member - PT-23
Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2023 2:23 pm
Hello Everyone,
I belong to a unit of the Commemorative Air Force, we're a new wing, and our assigned aircraft is a Fairchild PT-23, SN:T42-6001. The PT-23 is the Radial engine version of the PT_19, created as the Ranger engines became hard to get during the war, they redesigned to use the Continental W670 engine. This PT-23 was actually manufactured by Fairchild in 1942. It's Original prototype with the W670 engine, used for flight testing etc. Afterwards nearly all other PT-23s were manufactured by third parties, like Aeronca and so forth. After flight testing it was accepted by the Army Air Corp for use as a trainer, where it performed it's duty's at an air field in Arkansas for the war. Post war sold into civilian hands where it spent several years flying around the south east US. It was eventually parked in a barn for about 50 years, then purchased and restored in 2001. We acquired the aircraft last year, and have done little more than ferry it to our location, and make a few flights around the local area before hangared it for the winter.
We are performing our first annual on it. During the annual, cracks in the spar were found in the center sections forward spar- the end grain inside one of the through holes for the control push pull tubes. Needless to say we're devastated. We had hoped to begin showing the aircraft to the public this summer, as event revenue is how our all volunteer group covers much of the costs of maintaining our fleet.
We are now looking for options to either repair, or replace the center section- and Ideally will rebuild the original as a club project. Does anyone know of a rebuilt Center Section or one that is either airworthy or in need of only minor repair we could source?
I belong to a unit of the Commemorative Air Force, we're a new wing, and our assigned aircraft is a Fairchild PT-23, SN:T42-6001. The PT-23 is the Radial engine version of the PT_19, created as the Ranger engines became hard to get during the war, they redesigned to use the Continental W670 engine. This PT-23 was actually manufactured by Fairchild in 1942. It's Original prototype with the W670 engine, used for flight testing etc. Afterwards nearly all other PT-23s were manufactured by third parties, like Aeronca and so forth. After flight testing it was accepted by the Army Air Corp for use as a trainer, where it performed it's duty's at an air field in Arkansas for the war. Post war sold into civilian hands where it spent several years flying around the south east US. It was eventually parked in a barn for about 50 years, then purchased and restored in 2001. We acquired the aircraft last year, and have done little more than ferry it to our location, and make a few flights around the local area before hangared it for the winter.
We are performing our first annual on it. During the annual, cracks in the spar were found in the center sections forward spar- the end grain inside one of the through holes for the control push pull tubes. Needless to say we're devastated. We had hoped to begin showing the aircraft to the public this summer, as event revenue is how our all volunteer group covers much of the costs of maintaining our fleet.
We are now looking for options to either repair, or replace the center section- and Ideally will rebuild the original as a club project. Does anyone know of a rebuilt Center Section or one that is either airworthy or in need of only minor repair we could source?