Nanchang CJ-6
Designed from 1957 as an all-original Chinese successor to the Yak-18-derived CJ-5, the CJ-6 first flew on 27 August 1958 and became the Chinese air force's standard basic trainer, with more than 3,000 built. It is powered by a Zhuzhou Huosai radial piston engine, upgraded from 260 to 285 horsepower in 1965 as the HS-6A, giving it a distinctive sound shared with contemporary Soviet-lineage trainers. Exported as the PT-6 to air forces including Albania, North Korea and Bangladesh, retired examples are now widely flown by civilian owners in the West as affordable warbirds.
Did you know?
China's standard piston trainer, exported as the PT-6; its Huosai radial engine gives it a distinctive sound.
Specifications
| Persons on board | 2 |
|---|---|
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.4 t |
| Optimum ceiling | 16,000 ft (4,877 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 155 l |
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 Nanchang CJ-6 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 Nanchang, the CJ-6 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.