North American Yale, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, ON
Excerpt from the plaque:
The North American Yale – The Yale, also named after a university, was originally designed and built under contract for the French Air Force as a development of the BT-9/14 basic trainer. The fixed undercarriage and less powerful engine were two of the Yale’s distinctive modifications from the AT-6 Texan. The Yale entered Canada for use in the BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) after France surrendered in May 1940. Although the RCAF accepted this aeroplane, the differences between the Yale and the Harvard created such severe safety problems that the Yale was relegated to the role of wireless trainer in 1943, after a series of accidents.
The CWH Yale was used at the SFTS (Service Flying Training School) at Camp Borden in 1940, prior to the aircraft’s conversion to wireless training. It finished the war at Aylmer, Ontario, and was sold as a war surplus to a scrap dealer in the Tillsonburg area, where it sat derelict until the early 1970s. The Yale was obtained by a CWH member and donated to the Museum. It now wears its original RCAF colours and unit markings.
North American Yale, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, ON
Excerpt from the plaque:
The North American Yale – The Yale, also named after a university, was originally designed and built under contract for the French Air Force as a development of the BT-9/14 basic trainer. The fixed undercarriage and less powerful engine were two of the Yale’s distinctive modifications from the AT-6 Texan. The Yale entered Canada for use in the BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) after France surrendered in May 1940. Although the RCAF accepted this aeroplane, the differences between the Yale and the Harvard created such severe safety problems that the Yale was relegated to the role of wireless trainer in 1943, after a series of accidents.
The CWH Yale was used at the SFTS (Service Flying Training School) at Camp Borden in 1940, prior to the aircraft’s conversion to wireless training. It finished the war at Aylmer, Ontario, and was sold as a war surplus to a scrap dealer in the Tillsonburg area, where it sat derelict until the early 1970s. The Yale was obtained by a CWH member and donated to the Museum. It now wears its original RCAF colours and unit markings.