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2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. North American NA-16 prototype NX2080: San Diego Air and Space Museum archives· Public domain
- 2. North American NA-16 Douglas A-26B Invader Grumman F9F Panther storage SNFSI FOF 15April2010 (14627087281): Valder137· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
The North American Aviation NA-16 is the first trainer aircraft built by North American Aviation, and was the beginning of a line of closely related North American trainer aircraft that would eventually number more than 17,000 examples, notably the T-6 Texan family.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.8 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 91 years ago, in 1935.
- Top speed is 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 12.8 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1935-04-01
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1,935
- role
- trainer
- makers
- North American Aviation
- engines
- 1× Wright R-975 Whirlwind
- length
- 8.4 m
- wingspan
- 12.8 m
- top speed
- 274 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q580486, Wikipedia: North American NA-16 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.