Evergreen Aviation Museum: Some open-cockpit trainers (photo diary)

by Ojibwa for Kossack Air Force

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Friday, Jun. 20, 2025 Friday, Jun. 20, 2025 at 7:15:10am PDT

The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon has some open-cockpit pilot trainers.

Fairchild PT-19B Cornell

On the eve of World War II, the U.S. Army knew that it would have to train thousands of new pilots, and the Fairchild Cornell was selected as a primary trainer. According to the Museum:

“Its fabric-covered steel-tube frame construction with plywood covered wings made the PT-19 rugged, reliable, and easy to maintain.”

The Cornell also had flight characteristics closely matched the combat aircraft that the students would eventually fly. A total of 7,742 were produced.

This aircraft has a top speed of 132 mph and a ceiling of 16.000 feet.

Ryan PT-22 Recruit

The PT-22 Recruit was the first low-wing monoplane used by the U.S. Army for primary pilot training. They were accepted by the Army in 1940 and a total of 1,023 were made.

This aircraft has a top speed of 125 mph and a ceiling of 15,400 feet.

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary

This is a two tandem-seat, open-cockpit, primary training biplane used by the U.S. Navy during the 1930s. According to the Museum:

“The N3N was the only aircraft designed and built by a factory wholly owned by the U.S. Navy.”

According to the Museum:

“The Navy needed a more sophisticated trainer, and at the same time, needed to dispose of aluminum leftover from building rigid airships. They decided to design an aircraft utilizing the aluminum, solving both problem at once.”

Pilots called the plane the Yellow Peril: poor visibility from the cockpit, inadequate brakes, and an ineffective rudder made it prone to ground loops.

This aircraft has a top speed of 90 mph and a ceiling of 15,200 feet.

Note: These photographs were taken on October 16, 2024.