North American NA-64 Yale
North American Aviation · United States · first flew 1940 · light aircraft
A fixed-gear training derivative of North American's AT-6/Harvard family, originally built for France and diverted to Canada after the French collapse in 1940.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.64 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- low tapered wing with fixed spatted undercarriage
- tandem two-seat framed canopy
- radial-engine nose similar in outline to the related Harvard/Texan, but with gear that does not retract
Its fixed, spatted undercarriage is the clearest way to distinguish it from the visually similar but retractable-gear Harvard.
Specifications
- The North American NA-64 Yale has a length of 8.64 m (28 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.23 m (40 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 267 km/h (166 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
North American built the NA-64 for a French air ministry order in 1939-40, but after France fell before all the aircraft could be delivered, the surviving airframes were redirected to the Royal Canadian Air Force, which named the type Yale.
Variants
Essentially a fixed-undercarriage, lower-powered sibling of the retractable-gear Harvard/Texan, with only minor equipment differences between batches.
Where you'll see it
The RCAF used the Yale as an intermediate trainer through the Second World War within the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Related aircraft
- North American NA-16-5
- North American PBJ-1 Mitchell
- P-51 Mustang
- Harvard I
- Airspeed AS.39 Fleet Shadower
- Beriev KOR-2
- Curtiss-Wright CW-22
- Fairchild F-24W-40
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