foto
DUXFORD
GALLERY
North American T-28 (T-28S) FENNEC
First flown in September 1949 the XT-28 was a piston engined two-seat military trainer intended to replace the T6 Texan/Harvard. It had a cockpit layout and a tricycle undercarriage designed to closely represent the layout of the jet aircraft that were about to come into service so that students could make the transition from piston to jet aircraft flying. In the late 1950s, the French were involved in a war of independence in the French held colony of Algeria. The Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) wanted to replace their T6 Harvard’s in the observation and counter insurgency role. 146 T-28A Trojan airframes were acquired from the USAF and delivered to Sud-Aviation at St. Nazaire. Following the conversion of the first two T-28A’s by Pac-Aero, Santa Monica, California to act as templates, the remainder were modified in France. This was achieved by removing the Wright R-1300-7, 800hp radial engine and two bladed propeller which was replaced with a Wright R-1830-9, 1,425 radial engine and three bladed propeller from surplus B-17s. Along with armoured plating for crew protection and converting the cockpit to French standards, four hard points were added to each wing to carry a variety of weapons. The French converted aircraft were called the FENNEC, after a small and very agile desert fox. In America, this variant was known as the T-28S. Between 1964 and 1967, the Fennec became surplus to requirements and offered for sale with the Argentina Navy receiving 45 with Morocco receiving 35. These were later sold on to Uruguay and Honduras and a few other countries with domestic problems as well as to private collectors in the United States.
There are currently two T-28 Fennecs flying in the United Kingdom and both are under the care and maintenance of the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford. Although both are finished in French Air Force markings they are easy to tell apart. G-TROY has an overall silver finish where as N14113 is in a desert camouflage finish.
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North American T-28A-NI TROJAN/c/n 174-545/51-7692/T-28 FENNEC/No 142/F-AZFV/G-TROY.
T-28A Trojan, construction number 174-545, rolled off the former Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft production line at Downey, California in early 1953 and by March that year was delivered to the USAF Training Command. By 1958, having served its training role, it was retired and put into storage and eventually struck off the military inventory in December 1959. In 1962 it was delivered to the USAF’s Military Aid Assistance Programme where the US Congress gave direct grants to friendly governments to purchase surplus US military equipment. 174-545 was acquired by the French, brought back to flying status and flown to Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia and from there it was embarked onto a French aircraft carrier as deck cargo for the Atlantic crossing to St. Nazaire. Following the Sud-Aviation modifications, T-28 FENNEC, No 142 became part of the Armée de l’Air Light Aircraft Ground Support Squadrons (EALA - Escadron d’Aviation Legere d’ Appui) and went on to fly operational missions in the counter insurgency role in Algeria. Following an accident in December 1964, No 142 was eventually retired from the Armée de l’Air in April 1965.
No 142 began its civilian life on static display on a roof of a camping building in Pont d’Ain, Villeneuve before being acquired by the Association pour la Sauvergarde des Avions, Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Following a rebuild at Dijon/Longevic, it flew again in
November 1988 registered as F-AZFV by the Amicale les Ailes Tremontaises at Tremons. In September 1991, F-AZFV was involved in a forced landing the resulted in a rebuild involving a new engine, propeller and rear fuselage with parts obtained from Armée de l’Air spares and was repaired by January 1993. By March 1998 it had been acquired by Mark Hanna of the Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford and placed on the British register as G-TROY in April 1999 when acquired by its present owners Simon Howell and Simon Tilling the trustees of Groupe Fennec. The aircraft is in Armée de l’Air markings with an overall silver finish and the serial No 517692 and FENNEC No 142 on the tail.
North American T-28A-NI TROJAN/c/n 174-398/51-7545/T-28 FENNEC/No 119/N14113 ‘Little Rascal’.
T-28A Trojan, construction number 174-398, was delivered to the United States Air Force in November 1952. In March 1953, 174-398 was involved in a mid-air collision with another T-28A while being flown with the 3525th Pilot Training Wing, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona but managed to return to base. It then moved on to the 3300th Pilot Training Squadron at Graham Air Base, Florida in December 1956 before finally being struck off charge in December 1959. It was delivered to the USAF’s Military Aid Assistance Programme and the French acquired 174-398. Following the Sud-Aviation modifications, T-28 FENNEC, No 119 became part of the Armée de l’Air Light Aircraft Ground Support Squadrons (EALA) and went on to fly operational missions in the counter insurgency role in Algeria. No 119 was discharge from the Armée de l’Air in 1967 and in March 1968 was registered to Waco-Pacific Inc of Van Nuys, California as N14113. From 1973 to 1978, N14113 was in use with the Haiti Air Force as FAH 1236 and when withdrawn from Military use reverted back to its US registration of N14113. It was then converted in 1979 to civilian standards by Hamilton Aviation as a NA-260 Nomad. It was eventually sold to Martin Willing of Radial Revelation Ltd in 1997 and ferried to Duxford. The bright overall orange USAF training colour scheme it had been in was replaced by an Armée de l’Air desert camouflage scheme reverting back to its code number of 119 and known as Little Rascal after a piece of art work painted on the engine cowling.
January 2012
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