One month ago, on September 26, Bristow Jones Memorial Airport held a special event for aviation enthusiasts, students, and the general public. On that day, Vicki Wilson, instructor of Bristow High School’s budding aviation program, worked in cooperation with Airport Manager Vicki Roth, and the Commemorative Air Force’s (CAF) Spirit of Tulsa Squadron, assembling an educational plane exhibition with local pilots and a special plane and guest: a WWII era Fairchild PT19 piloted by Spirit of Tulsa Squadron Unit Leader Robert “Bob” Prater.
During WWII, the Fairchild PT-19 was used extensively in the primary flight training programs of the military. Prior to use of the PT-19, the Fairchild Model M-62 served as the primary aircraft used to train pilots; however, PT-19 creators found that the wider-track landing gear and monoplane design better prepared pilots for their service post-training as it more closely resembled the aircraft those pilots would be flying on combat missions.
A few variations of the PT-19 were created, including the PT19, PT-19A, and PT-19B. Later models varied slightly from the original, but all proved valuable for training purposes as they were reportedly inexpensive to make, accessible, and easier on which to learn than prior trainers. According to the Army Air Corps Museum via its website, www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org, “the Fairchild PT-19's simple yet effective design, coupled with its role in training countless aviators, solidifies its place in aviation history as an iconic primary trainer of the World War II era”, but the aircraft also helped solidify an expanded role for women in history as well.
Upon completion, WASPs, aka Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, flew the newly manufactured planes from factories to their military base destinations for pilot training. The WASPs served invaluable roles in delivering the planes and earned their rightful place in history alongside the PT-19. To learn more about those WASPs, be sure to visit www.afhistory.af.mil and search “WASP”.
As for Prater, he previously served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and has accumulated more than 14,000 flight hours throughout his 37-year career as a pilot, adding 1,300 hours as a C-130 Flight Engineer. For more than 26 of those years, he flew for American Eagle Airlines and American Airlines, and he has been flying for the CAF and WWII Airborne Demonstration Team for 24 years.
Asked how he became interested in aviation, he stated “I’ve wanted to fly airplanes since I was a little child with my earliest memories of having toy airplanes in my hands. I’ve always wanted to fly, driving my parents nuts with it, and now I’m living my childhood dream of getting to do so. Not only that,I’ve been interested in aviation from its earliest days in World War I. That I have had the opportunity to fly several vintage airplanes has been a huge blessing. Even as I took off from Dallas/Fort Worth at 5am [on the morning of the exhibition], the thrill of advancing the power for takeoff, lifting off the ground, seeing the sun come up over the horizon…I loved every minute of it.”
Speaking more broadly about his role as a flight instructor and pilot for the CAF and upholding their mission to educate, maintain, and fly the vintage warbirds, keeping them and the passion to fly alive for future generations, Prater further noted that he loves being able to encourage, guide, and provide assistance for young people to explore the many aspects of aviation. He said “I’m a teacher, and it’s my duty to pass on what I know that others will follow my footsteps...” He cited those sentiments as being paramount in choosing to exhibit the plane for younger generations of Bristowans at the airport with hopes and plans to make the event an annual tradition.
Prater invites parents, caregivers, and students to reach out with questions via CAF’s website: www.caftulsa.org. “If we don’t have the answer, we’ll get it for you and provide the directions where they can find the answers to the questions they have.”