So...about the paint job

 


Yale


National Steel Car about to conduct a test flight of 3434 )c.1940?)

NA-64 Prototype 3464		 1939 - 1946 The Yale story begins sometime in the early stages of WWII.

With hostilities on the horizon, France went to North American Aviation (NAA) for a version of the BT-9 called the NA-57 which proved to be very popular, so, just before the war, they ordered a further 230 updated aircraft. This incarnation was called the NA-64, later to be called the YALE I. It was a mutt of a machine, featuring the Harvard canopy, the fixed landing gear and the Wright Whirlwind R-975e engine. Aside from the engine, the airframe is the same as the BT-14, which had the P&W 985. So, that said, a BT-14 is NOT a Yale. It did, however, have the semi-monocoque rear fuselage rather than the earlier fabric structure. It retained an early wing type, which gave it certain vicious stall characteristics. Later modifications to correct this were never really successful so the aircraft kept its reputation of biting the unwary.

One hundred and eleven of these had just been delivered when France fell. The Germans were happy to press them into service in the Luftwaffe, many still in their packing crates, as they too had a shortage of trainers . As of this date, none of the German Yales are known to exist.

The one hundred and nineteen remaining aircraft were drafted by  the RCAF. They arrived in Canada in their packing crates, complete with French markings, instruments and control linkages. They were, more or less, Canadianized  at National Steel Car and went on to serve as intermediate trainers, with the HARVARDS then being considered advanced trainers.  They were withdrawn from service in 1943 as this extra stage was deemed unnecessary. Some of them, however went on to become wireless trainers with the rear flight controls and instruments removed, a large mast installed ahead of the windscreen, and a big ugly intake box above the cowl.

If you're a T-6/ Harvard buff, a must-have book is "Harvard! The North American Trainers in Canada" by Fletcher and MacPhail. This book is a great reference and contains some of the best information available on the Yale. Photo's at left are found in the book.
  Movie Star:

In one of the more obscure WWII movies, the 1942 film "Captains of the Clouds", starring James Cagney with cameo by WWI Ace Billy Bishop,  was basically a recruiting film for RCAF, featuring a group of bush pilots who eventually end up as instructors for the RCAF. For information on this film see the Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captains_of_the_Clouds . The best part of the film is the interesting collection of aircraft used including a Norseman, and of course, Yales of the RCAF Training Command.

Below is a screen shot from the film trailer showing a gaggle of Yales. This photo is from Wikipedia.

File:Captains of the Clouds.jpg

1946-1970 The Ernie Simmon's chapter of the Yale saga is one of those strange, but fortunate twists in aircraft lore. For a good read, take a look at http://www.spitcrazy.com/simmons2.htm. This is the story of Ernie, a collector of antique machines, and his un-timely demise.

The Simmons story concludes with the famous aircraft auction on his farm and the distribution of the Yales throughout North America, both Canada and the US. I have never been able to determine what happened to Yale 3434 between the time it was sold at auction, and the time it arrived in our North Georgia backyard in the summer of 1975 so that's still a mystery.
1975 The Restoration

Well, didn't everyone grow up with an airplane in the backyard? The Yale has arrived at our home for the start of a very lengthy restoration. Dad thought that this was only going to take a couple years but I think we've all either heard or said that one..
  Another view of the Yale. Pretty much all together for the last time for a long time.
  And the view from the tail.
  And from the front. For those used to the cowl on a T-6, this is a little narrower to accommodate the smaller engine and has the forward mounted exhaust collector.
  My Dad's brother James is starting to take parts off the Yale. I got to do the same thing and every screw was a challenge consuming lots of WD-40 and an impact hammer to break the rust free. Note the auction number on the cowl. I was always a little leery crawling through the airplane as I recall that being just one big nest of spiders and bugs of all shapes and sizes.
  I'm not sure Mom was real keen on this idea for a while!;big yellow airplane taking up the backyard space. Eventually, a large shop was built just to the right out of the picture and the spot where the Yale sits ended up with a pool. I think Mom enjoyed the pool a little more than the Yale.
  Note the fuselage number is 3434 and this wing is 3464. Based on markings internal to this wing,  this was the prototype NA-64 Yale wing after being put back into the field. We're not sure what happened to the original right wing, but there was damage noted due to a training collision with Harvard 3183 in 1942. Also note the later style roundel on the lower surface.
  Here's a view of the front cockpit, basically just a shell after years outside exposed to elements and kids rumaging through the airplanes. Some of the placards were still in French, and the throttle operated reverse from what we're used to (pull back to go fast). 3434 had been one of the Yales converted to a wireless trainer so there was no instrument panel in the back seat.

To the left at mid-photo, is the short flap handle used to crank up and down the flaps. The longer handle sticking up is the fuel wobble pump (no electric boost), and the round wheel was the trim wheel. Just forward on the instrument panel at lower right was the vacuum system controls. Just down to the right was the carb heat, and up and to the right was the electrical control panel. 
  Here's the cage after everything was basically stripped out. There's a lot of work just to get this far!
     
  1986   Dad and our family pet "Sunshine" making steady progress. I believe I took this and the following while at home on Spring Break from The Citadel in 1986.  
    Note lack of an engine at this point, but the fuselage is getting close.  Instead of the Trainer Yellow, Dad chose the original Silver/ Yellow scheme which we thought was a lot more attractive.
  1988  I think this is Spring 1988 while home on leave during my stint at Offutt AFB. Note cockpit details as compared to the shot of the cockpit above in 1975! 
    I remembered Dad pulled the Yale out cause he said he needed to run it. I think that since I was home on leave, he wanted to show me it ran, and ran it did.  
    As the Wright R-975 comes to life, it sure pukes a bunch of oil and smoke! This was way cool stuff back then. Heck, it's cool now. 
1991 After finishing his allotted hours for fly-off, Dad and I flew the Yale down to Florida for Sun-N-Fun where he won Best Trainer/ Liaison that year.  At left Dad and I are formed up on a DC-3 photo ship for the Valiant Air Command air show in Titusville, FL. After the VAC show, we flew over to SNF for another couple days.
  The Yale at SNF. Following that, Dad flew the Yale around the north Georgia area for several years until his day job evaporated when Pan American went under, and the price of flying and maintaining the Yale got too high with respect to it's usability.
  Sometime in 1991 I think. Dad's out doing some touch-n-goes at Cartersville airport, just NW of Atlanta. Note lack of wheel pants and the "VI" squadron identifier. 
1993  Here's the Yale at one of the local airshows. I'm not sure which one but could be Dobbins AFB or NAS Atlanta. In 2007 I was contacted by Pete Hunt who saw my name on the Vans Air Force forums. Pete was the former C.O. for NAS Atlanta and had an opportunity to fly with Dad and now owns a T-6G and an RV-6A. Small world!
  As usual, there's always some maintenance to do. Dad's in the cockpit and I'm not sure who the other guy is, but it appears that a little brake bleeding is in progress. 
  Just another afternoon in north Georgia.  
  Feb 2000 End of a Yale

On 24 February, at about 1824 Eastern standard time North American Yale N64WP operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed in the vicinity of Clearwater, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The Yale sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Brooksville, Florida, about 30 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he called unicorn and entered downwind for runway 34 at Clearwater Air Park. He turned base leg, and called unicorn stating his intentions. The airplane experienced o reported partial loss of engine power. He checked the oil pressure and it was normal. The carburetor heat was not on. He turned the fuel boast pump on, moved the throttle back and forth, and switched the fuel tank with negative results. He realized he would be unable to make the runway and initiated a forced landing in a street. The airplane collided with trees and a telephone pole.

The owner purchased the severely damaged Yale from his insurance company, disassembled it, and put it away in storage. In mid-2008, the aircraft appeared for sale on Barnstormers.com for around $20K. If a second Yale project could be found, 3434 could possible be put in flyable condition again, but it needed fuselage cage work, a new center section, right wing and firewall forward. By the time it was complete, you may or may not re-coupe your investment. That being said, it's a tempting project.
2009 So after a lot of thought on paint schemes, at least 6 years worth, I kept coming back to this one. As evidenced on the Paint Schemes page, I went through a lot of different designs. Once I did the Microsoft Flight Sim FSX re-paint and flew that around, I pretty much had my mind made up. During the Fall of 2008 I started the search for a painter here in the Northwest and came up a little short. Yep, there's painters around, but I wasn't convinced that they could do the job and take care of the airplane for a decent price. I had quotes all over the place, but finally settled on Grady at GLO Custom. His shop has done literally a hundred RVs, including many in military dress. His quote also came in low enough that I could fly down to Dallas, include a round trip in the big human mailing tubes back to Seattle, and fly back for what it would cost for a local painter. I was sold.
  8/18/2009 I received an interesting e-mail. Yale 3434 will eventually make it back into the air! Story to follow...
    To Grady's GLO Custom Paint....