Monthly Archives: November 2009

Varga Kachina, Military Type Civilian Trainer

The owner of this Kachina painted his in military colors. Note large canopy and easy access to engine. By:       Norm Goyer During the years our company had four flight schools in SoCal, our mostly ex-military instructors kept looking for a … Continue reading

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A Rap On Spinning, What is Your Opinion

By:       Norm Goyer Before I was allowed to solo a Piper J-3 I had to demonstrate that I could enter a spin and recover from a three turn spin on a predetermined heading. Of course there was a war on, … Continue reading

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Naval Aviation Factory N3N-3, the Yellow Peril

This N3N-1 was one of the “Yellow Perils” stationed at Annapolis, MD. By:       Norm Goyer Shortly after World War II, the military sold off thousands of aircraft as surplus. I was one of the many pilots who purchased as many … Continue reading

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The US Navys Primary and Intermediate Jet Trainers

By:                   Norm Goyer After World War II and Korea, but before the Vietnam war, the Navy turned to pure jet trainers. Their goal was to start  pilots flying jets with zero time in any prop driven aircraft. In March 1959, … Continue reading

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My Copilot Has Passed On

Antoinette (Tina) Goyer at work editing aviation articles. She passed on November 5th , 2009. By:          Norm Goyer On Thursday November 5th my beloved wife, Tina, passed away after a long bout with congestive heart failure. She was 83 … Continue reading

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Cessnas New “Catcher in the Sky”

By:                   Norm Goyer There is only one undisputed winner in the race for best-post war primary trainer and it is Cessna. They kicked off the late 1940s with their ground breaking all metal Cessna 120/140 two-passenger side-by-side trainers. The 120 … Continue reading

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Vultee BT-13, the Vibrator

The Vultee BT-13 was the interim aircraft used for basic training, between primary training and advanced training. Note the spindly-fixed-landing gear. By:                   Norm Goyer The Vultee BT-13 was the most popular basic trainer used during World War II. Our future … Continue reading

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The New Beechcraft T-6 Texan II

By:                   Norm Goyer Why was the original Texan so successful in training fighter pilots for Allied nations during World War II? The answer is related to the aircraft that were contemporary and the types of mission they were expected to … Continue reading

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