Small · ICAO TEX2

Beechcraft T-6 Texan 2

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is the standard primary and basic trainer for the US Air Force and Navy today, developed from the Pilatus PC-9 with an American-built engine and cockpit tailored to US military training requirements. Its pressurised cockpit and onboard oxygen system let it safely train pilots at higher altitudes than older unpressurised trainers could manage. It's built to be tough enough to withstand the repeated hard landings and aggressive manoeuvres inevitable in student training, extending its service life well beyond a typical civilian aircraft. Several allied air forces have also adopted it, standardising early pilot training across a growing list of American-aligned militaries.

Beechcraft T-6 Texan 2, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

Developed from the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 Texan II is today's standard primary trainer for the US Air Force and Navy.

Specifications

Length10.2 m (33 ft)
Wingspan10.2 m (33 ft)
Height3.3 m (11 ft)
Persons on board2
Crew2
Maximum take-off weight3 t
Range900 NM (1,667 km)
Service ceiling31,000 ft (9,449 m)
Rate of climb3,849 ft/min (19.6 m/s)
Take-off distance660 m (2,165 ft)
Landing distance1,030 m (3,379 ft)
Fuel capacity620 l
Engines1x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68
Units built850

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Beechcraft T-6 Texan 2 starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Beechcraft, the T-6 Texan 2 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.

Download

Catch what flies overhead

CatchFlights is free on the App Store for iPhone. On Android it is in closed testing on Google Play — join the testers and help shape the game.

iPhone · Android (beta)