Yale, Valiant & Harvard Trainers - Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2019

Four American made aircraft that were used during World War 2, and subsequently, to train Allied military pilots, displaying on the first day of the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2019.
1/.Vultee BT-13A Valiant N313BT, from the Early Birds Foundation (EBF) based at Lelystad in The Netherlands, who have owned the aircraft since January 2019.
The prototype of the BT-13 flew on March 24, 1939. This Vultee Valiant was one of more than 11,000 machines built. The Vultee BT-13A Valiant is very rare, with only two others flying in Europe and only about 27 surviving worldwide.
The Valiant was essential to the training of allied pilots during World War II. Although originally designed as a fighter plane, with retractable landing gear and a 600 hp engine, the Valiant was later converted to a basic trainer for the US Army Air Corps, with a lighter engine (450 hp) and non-retractable landing gear.
The aircraft was nicknamed the Vibrator, as it had a tendency to shake quite violently as it approached stall speed.
After the war, this aircraft was bought for parts by an agricultural aviation company in Montana.
In 1983 and 2006 it was sold to owners who intended restorations which were never started, before going to Jason Reid in 2010. He completed its restoration, at Modesto, California, before it was sold to the Early Birds Foundation.
2/. North American NA-64 Yale, G-BYNF, is operated by T6 Harvard Aviation. It was built in 1940 as part of a French order, but redirected to Canada when France was invaded by German forces. It served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as 3349. At the end of RCAF service in 1946 it was bought by Ernie Simmons and moved to his farm at Tilsonburg, Ontario. When Ernie died, his entire estate, including Yale No.3349, was auctioned off. The aircraft next appeared in a restoration shop in Ocala, Florida, USA, where a rebuild to fly was undertaken. It made it’s first post-restoration flight on August 3, 1980. It was sold and shipped to Holland in June 1989. It made it’s debut at Lelystad on June 10, 1989, and was a regular performer at events around Europe for the next ten years.
The Yale went to Duxford in March 1999 where it was ompletely restored by the Aircraft Restoration Company.
3/. North American Harvard Mk.IV ‘Taz’
Harvard lV 1747/G-BGPB, 'Taz', was built by the Canadian Car Foundry at Fort Williams in 1953 as part of an order for the United States Air Force and was given the US military serial 53-4619. It saw service with the USAF in Europe and was then sold to the West German Air Force in 1958. It was delivered to the Flugzeugfuhrerschule (Pilot Training School) at Landsberg wearing the code “AA+050”. When the School closed in 1966, it moved to the Technische Schule 1 (Technical training School 1 at Kaufbeuren as a ground instructional airframe, becoming “BG+050”. From here it was sold on to the Portuguese Air Force and became operational at the Flight Training base at Sao Jacinta and was given the FAP (Portuguese Air Force) code 1747. When the Portuguese disposed of their Harvard fleet in the late 1970’s 1747 was imported into the UK.
4/. Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard II, KF183, G-CORS, is owned and operated by Propshop Ltd/ The Aircraft Restoration Company. It was the last Harvard on British military strength and was retired and sold in 2016.
Built in Montréal, Canada by the Noorduyn company during 1944, KF183 was shipped to Liverpool and delivered to the RAF. From December 1944 it served with No 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit, which soon became No. 7 Service Flying Training School, at Peterborough. It passed to No. 3 Flying Training School at Feltwell and the Gosport-based Air Torpedo Development Unit, prior to assignment in January 1953 to the then Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down where it remained for the rest of its service career, through all the changes of the establishment’s name that ended with the privatised QinetiQ.
Among the type’s roles at Boscombe Down were as a low-speed camera platform supporting trials work, and use on Empire Test Pilots’ School courses. In the past, the aircraft also saw employment as taildragger trainers for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Royal Navy Historic Flight. This and 2 other Harvards were painted bright yellow, and nicknamed the ‘Yellow Perils’.
On 14/6/91 this aircraft was involved in an incident over Salisbury Plain where it flew into and 'shredded' the parachutes of an air dropped load from a C-130 Hercules, which you can read about here - www.t6harvard.com/uk-harvards...
Upon retirement, KF183 was Britain’s longest-serving military aircraft, and the oldest still in use outside those on strength with the service historic flights.
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