‘Fly Girl’ AT-6 Joins Warbirds Training Command Display
Dave and Kristine Holmes’ North American AT-6D Fly Girl will be a part of the new World War II Training Command Display in the EAA Warbirds of America area at EAA AirVenture 2006. The AT-6D represents the advanced, single-engine trainers used by the U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces, along with other allied nations.
North American Aviation had many designs that contributed to the war effort, but the Texan, also known as the “Pilot Maker,” filled a variety of training roles in both branches. The Navy’s designation for the Texan was the SNJ. The British Commonwealth imported the Texan as a trainer and referred to it as the Harvard, which was eventually produced in Canada and used by the RAF and RCAF to train their pilots. In all, about 17,000 aircraft were built for the war effort.
Advanced trainers prepared pilots to fly fighters they’d eventually take to war. Specifically, the Texan was used to develop pilot skills in gunnery, instrument flying, navigation, formation flying, and fighter tactics. The Navy also used SNJs to qualify pilots in aircraft carrier operations.
The Holmes’ 1944 North American AT-6D is painted in the colors of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) that was based at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. WASPs trained in the AT-6 prior to taking on their duties as pilots in non-combat roles for the war effort.
Overall, tens of thousands of pilots received training in North American variants of the Texan. Many of those pilots consider them one of their favorite airplanes.
Visit the WW-II Training Command Display July 24-30 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., just a few steps west of the Warbirds in Review area. Discover why certain aircraft were used, what the cadets learned, and how they trained, and more. Volunteer guides can also tell more about the aircraft and the pilots who flew them, plus direct visitors to other examples of trainer aircraft located near warbird flight line.
