Cable Airshow 2008
Fairchild PT-26 Cornell

As the Army trained pilots to enter combat flying airplanes, they found that trainers of the time, like the Stearman, were forgiving aircraft. The Army wanted a trainer than was more demanding of the pilot, as a fighter would be. The Cornell gave them higher wing loading and higher stall speeds, which gave trainees a bit more of a challenge. This is what the Army wanted, a trainer that would behave similarly to a fighter at slower speeds. The PT-26 was the last line of the Cornells, which included the PT-19 and PT-23. The PT-26 was the only one with an enclosed cockpit.