Harvard Mark IV 405

The Harvard series of trainers were British Commonwealth Air Forces versions of the North American Aviation AT-6 Texan trainer used during and after World War II. North American delivered its first Harvards in October 1938 to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

After World War II Canadian Car & Foundry (CCF) in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, built the Harvard Mk. IV, introduced into RCAF service in 1951. TheMk. IV was similar to the US Air Force remanufactured T-6G Texan. Of the 555 Harvard Mk. IVs built by CCF the US Air Force purchased 285 as T-6Js, built to T-6G standards, for the MDAP (Mutual Defense Assistance Program.) US Air Force personnel tested the aircraft at the CCF plant before acceptance.

A total of 20,110 Harvards were built between 1938 and 1954, 3,370 of them in Canada. Countless numbers of privately owned Harvards are still flying today.