What's this?

BlackWolf3945 · 02-07-2006, 09:12 PM

As noted somewhere above, it's a movie bird converted from a T-6/SNJ/Harvard to resemble a French Navy fighter.
It looks like it's supposed to represent a Hellcat.

For any that still have some doubt, it's definitely not a real P-64. Only six were built, being ordered by Thailand under the
North American Aviation model number NA-68. They were similar to an earlier NAA aircraft ordered by Peru; the NA-50A.

While the NA-68s were enroute to Thailand that country was invaded by Japan and the aircraft were held at Hawaii,
ultimately being requisitioned by the US Army and given the designation of P-64 and serials of 41-19082 through 41-19087.

This is a period shot of one of those aircraft...

Bill Larkins photo

Only one P-64 survives today, as part of the EAA's museum in Oshkosh.
This is that aircraft, serial 41-19085, as she appeared in 1970...

Steve Williams photo

Fade to Black...

mosquitoman · 02-08-2006, 05:41 PM

Never heard of the P-64, what was it involved with?

BlackWolf3945 · 02-08-2006, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mosquitoman

Never heard of the P-64, what was it involved with?

They were initially used for advanced fighter training at Luke Field, Arizona and eventually wound up being used as hacks.

Fade to Black...

pbfoot · 02-08-2006, 07:05 PM

The Peruvian air force bought seven of them and lost 2 in a scrap with Ecuador in 1941 losing 2 in action one to AA and the other blew up while trying to dislodge a hung up bomb and 6 were sold to the Thais but were on board ship in Hawaii when the Japanese invaded Thailand and at that time were seized by the US and assigned to advance fighter training as the P-64

mosquitoman · 02-09-2006, 06:05 PM

right, ta very much

GregP · 03-30-2006, 06:24 PM

When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A., there was a guy at Deer Valley airport who converted one or more T-6 aircraft into the P-64 version. It involved turning it into a single-seater using turtledeck, changing the engine to an R-1340, add guns (fake for a civilian plane), clipping the wings a bit, and strengthening the airframe in specific places to cope with the extra power and speed. It would cruise at 250 mph, right with the Mustangs.

Real P-64s were rare. Some had the straight-line tail and some had the curved tails. The main distinuishing features are the R-3-1340, 3-bladed props, single seat, clipped-wing.