Tag Archives: North American T6 Texan

Irene’s Awesome Russian Yak-52 Trainer Flight over Australia

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Hunter Valley NSW Australia

Pilot Jamie Riddell

Make sure your sound is on, but know that there will nevertheless be little if any sound at the outset, but when Jamie connects the intercom, then you’ll hear them talking just fine, as they converse throughout the flight adventure.

When young Irene and the pilot speak to one another, you won’t want to miss the chatter.  It’s priceless, and the video gives an awesome insight into a young girl’s first great airborne adventure above Australia.  While you will hear the pilot and his passenger’s chatter, you will not hear any loud engine nor wind noise, since the hook up prevented those other sounds from being a significant part of the finished video.

You will watch as this young lady has an experience she’s not likely to forget, and it’s written all over her face as she is cavorted above the airfield at which the Yak is based.  Notice, on take off, what a good rate of climb this trainer possesses.

The Yak is a post WWII 1970s vintage aircraft, designed, built and used in the USSR after the war and now available surplus almost anywhere in the world.  Much like the earlier American equivalent, the North American T6 “Texan,” except that it has a tricycle landing gear.  Of course the tricycle arrangement makes it much easier to land than its American “Texan” counterpart.  The video is 13:44 minutes long.


And, here below, is a short (3″21 minutes long) video of one of these Russian Yak 52 Trainers.  Watch as it shows off its excellent rate of climb speed, and also as it performs some extreme aerobatics after take off.

VIDEOS: Basic Training in the new T6A USAF Jet Prop Trainer

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Thanks to our friends at FIGHTER SWEEP for this short (1:15)  video (immediately under the static photo of the plane parked on the ramp) of the new USAF & Navy T-6A Texan II Jet-prop trainer at work plying the clouds. The Raytheon Aircraft-built Texan II is a single-turbo prop engined, two-seat primary trainer, used to teach basic flying skills to Air Force and Navy pilots. 

The aircraft is fully aerobatic and features a pressurized cockpit with an anti-G system, ejection seat and an advanced avionics package with sunlight-readable liquid crystal displays, or as they are more commonly known, a full “Glass Panel.” It is the military trainer version of Raytheon’s Beech/Pilatus PC-9 Mk II.This trainer was first featured on our site some four (4) years ago.  One of its early test pilots was none other than our own FASF Advisor, Patty Wagstaff of Florida, Air Show and International Aerobatic competition fame.

Texan II on Ramp at Vance AFB.

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And, immediately below, is another (4:15 long) video of the Texan II in action – Practicing formation and aerobatic work. The lead female pilot using the cockpit GoPro camcorder is Air Force pilot, Courtney McCallan.

And, below, another T6-Texan II training clip, 3:10 in length.

Below is another video, but this time of the original WWII – Korean Conflict Basic Air Force and Navy Trainer, the North American T6, which was designated the SNJ by the Navy.  The Canadians and British called it the “Harvard.” The Basic Trainer was conventionally powered.  This video is 5:26 in length.  This is the airplane in which your Editor did his basic training in the USAF.

Below is a 3:29 long video using another HD Go-Pro camcorder taking the cockpit view during airshow maneuvers in Germany.  Notice the control stick is the British type with a small ring at the top of the stick.  This is the kind of stick, called a “Spade Stick” found in both the Super-marine Spitfires and Hurricanes fighters that successfully fought the Germans during the Battle of Britain in WWII.

Below is the 3rd phase of flight training at Vance AFB – the class’ final video summary of their year training to be USAF Pilots.  The full video was class (student) produced. Show is 5:30 long.  Gives a good insight to what lies in store for USAF Pilot students in their first year of Pilot Training.  Includes typical student off hours recreation activities and finally the step up to flight training in the T-38 “Talon” aircraft.

T6 Texan in action.

Time to fly! Row of Texans at the ready.