North American T.28B Trojan

The T-28 Trojan was developed in the early 1960s by North American Aviation as a replacement for the venerable T-6 Texan (a.k.a Harvard) which had been used as an advanced trainer aircraft since the late 1930’s. Like the T-6, the Trojan went on to serve with the US Navy and Marine Corps as well as the US Air Force. The B-model seen here was specifically designed for the Navy and it featured the addition of a belly-mounted speed brake and a more powerful 1425hp engine (compared to the 800hp one in the original A-model which is easily identifiable by its earlier two-bladed propellor).

This side on view of the Trojan, with its two occupants clearly visible, highlights just how big an aircraft the T-28 is. Photo: © Historical Aviation Film Unit

 Year: 1949  Built: 1,948 (489 B-models) Registration: ZK-tgn  Top Speed: 552 km/h  Wingspan: 12.22m  Height: 3.86m  Length:10.06m Engine: 1425hp Wright R-1820-86 Cyclone 9-cylinder radial Ceiling: 10,820m  Range: 1706km Armament: 6 x underwing hardpoints with a capacity of 540 kg (1,200 lb) in total 

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    • While the USAF stopped using the T-28 for pilot training in the early 1960’s, it continued to be used as a primary trainer by the Marine Corps and US Coast Guard well into the 1980s. The last Trojans in military service were eventually retired from the Phillipine Air Force in 1994.

    This aircraft, Bureau No 138218, was constructed in 1953 and entered US Navy service the following year. Over the next thirty years many US naval aviators were trained on the Trojan in both Florida and Texas, and the type was only withdrawn from service in early 1984 when it was replaced by the newer Beechcraft T-34 Mentor turboprop trainer.

    The last U.S. Navy training squadron to fly the T-28 was VT-27 "Boomers", based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas.

    While we source some footage of ZK-TJN, here's a look at another T-28 in similar colours.

    After a career spanning 29 years and over 15,000 hours of service time at Pensacola and Texas, Trojan 138218 was sent to the storage (aircraft) boneyard at Tuscon, Arizona. A couple of years later the aircraft was withdrawn from service and sold, reappearing on the US Civil Register with a private owner.

    Trojan taxis in after a display at Ardmore Airfield (Auckland).  Photo: © Historical Aviation Film Unit

    After several further civilian owners, a retired naval aviator began a major 16,000+ hour restoration including having the wings & fuselage strengthened and re-covered with thicker skins. The engine was changed from the original Curtiss Wright 1425hp 9-cylinder radial to a custom built 1450hp Pratt and Whitney R2000 14-cylinder radial. The aircraft was eventually sold and imported into New Zealand in 2015.

    More Videos:

    • Trojan T.28C Display At Ardmore

    • Rob Sillich's Display At Ardmore


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