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| A USMC N3N-3 Canary over Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. |
The Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
is an American tandem-seat, open cockpit, primary training biplane aircraft
built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during
the 1930s and early 1940s.
Development and Design
Built to replace the
Consolidated NY-2 and NY-3, the N3N was successfully tested as both a
conventional airplane and a seaplane. The seaplane used a single large float
under the fuselage and two smaller floats under the outer tips of the lower
wings. The conventional airplane used a fixed landing gear. The prototype
XN3N-1 was powered by a Wright J-5 radial engine. An order for 179 production
aircraft was received. Near the end of the first production run the engine was
replaced with the Wright R-760-2 Whirlwind radial. The aircraft is constructed
using Alcoa's extruded aluminum, with bolts and rivets, rather than the more
common welded steel tubing fuselages. Early production models used aluminum
stringers formed for cancelled airship construction orders.
Operational History
The N.A.F. built 997 N3N
aircraft beginning in 1935. They included 179 N3N-1s and 816 N3N-3s, plus their
prototypes. Production ended in 1942, but the type remained in use through the
rest of World War II. The N3N was the last biplane in US military service - the
last (used by the U.S. Naval Academy for aviation familiarization) were retired
in 1959. The N3N was also unique in that it was an aircraft designed and
manufactured by an aviation firm wholly owned and operated by the U.S.
government (the Navy, in this case) as opposed to private industry. For this
purpose, the U.S. Navy bought the rights and the tooling for the Wright R-760
series engine and produced their own engines. These Navy-built engines were
installed on Navy-built airframes.
According to Trimble, "The
N3N-3, sometimes known as the Yellow Bird for its distinctive, high-visibility
paint scheme, or less kindly, Yellow Peril for the jeopardy in which student
aviators often found themselves, showed itself to be rugged, reliable, and
generally forgiving to student pilots."
Four N3N-3s were delivered to
the United States Coast Guard in 1941.
Postwar, many surviving
aircraft were sold on the US civil aircraft market and bought for operation by
agricultural aerial spraying firms and private pilot owners. According to
Robinet, "The front cockpit had been replaced with a huge metal hopper
that loaded from the top and discharged dust from the bottom through a simple
venturi type spreader. The airplane was originally powered by a 235 h.p. Wright
Radial engine but for their purposes, these were replaced by 450 h.p. Pratt
& Whitney radial engines. The engine, wheels and instruments were obtained
from the Army BT-13 which was purchased for less than $350.00 each."
A number are still (as of 2014)
active in the USA.
Type:
Training aircraft
National origin: United States
Manufacturer:
Naval Aircraft Factory
Primary user:
United States Navy
Number built:
997
Manufactured:
1935-1942
Introduction date: 1936
First flight:
August 1935
Retired:
1961
Communications were done by the
instructor through a speaking tube to the student in the front cockpit.
Communications back were agreed-upon gestures.
Variants
XN3N-1:
First prototype aircraft, Bureau of Aeronautics number 9991.
N3N-1:
Two-seat primary trainer biplane, powered by a 220 hp (160 kW) Wright R-790
Whirlwind (J-5) radial piston engine. 179 were built.
XN3N-2: One
prototype only (Bureau number 0265) powered by a 240 hp (180 kW) Wright
R-760-96 Whirlwind (J-6-7) radial piston engine.
XN3N-3: One
production N3N-1 (0020) converted into a 'dash three' prototype.
N3N-3:
Two-seat primary trainer biplane, powered by a 235 hp (175 kW) Wright R-760-2
Whirlwind (J-6-7) radial piston engine. 816 built.
Crew: 2
Length: 25
ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Wingspan: 34
ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Height: 10
ft 10 in (3.3 m)
Wing area:
305 sq ft (28.3 m2)
Empty weight:
2,090 lb (948 kg)
Gross weight:
2,792 lb (1,266 kg)
Powerplant:
1 × Wright R-760-2 Whirlwind radial, 235 hp (175 kW)
Maximum speed:
126 mph (203 km/h, 109 kn)
Range: 470
mi (756 km, 410 nmi)
Service ceiling: 15,200 ft (4,635 m)
Rate of climb:
900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
Serial Numbers
U.S. Coast Guard
N3N-3: V193
to V196
U.S. Navy Bureau Numbers
(BuNos)
XN3N-1: 9991
N3N-1: 0017
to 0101; 0644 to 0723; and 0952 to 0966
XN3N-2: 0265
XN3N-3: 0020
N3N-3: 1759
to 1808; 1908 to 2007; 2573 to 3072; and 4352 to 4517.
Operators
United States
United States Coast Guard
U.S. Marines
United States Navy
Chile
Chilean naval air force: 4
N3N-1 received by Lend-Lease Program
Cuba
Cuban naval air force: 5
N3N-1s received by Lend-Lease Program.
Surviving Aircraft
0719: On
display at the Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio in Santiago.
1918: On
display at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho.
1920:
Airworthy with Carolina Warbirds LLC out of Patuxent River, Maryland.
2582: On
display at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum in Hood River,
Or-egon.
2621: On
display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
2693: On
display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.
2733:
Airworthy with the High Sierra Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force in Reno,
Ne-vada.
2781:
Airworthy with the Houston Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Houston,
Texas.
2782: On
display at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania.
2827: On
display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
2831: On
display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
2892: On
display at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
2951: On
display at the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
2959: On
display at the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.
3022: On
display at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly,
Vir-ginia.
3033:
Airworthy with Ag Air Squadron Three, LLC in Grant Park, Illinois.
3046: On
display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.
4402:
Airworthy with Joe McBryan (Buffalo Airways) in Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories.
4406:
Airworthy with Birnie Air Services in Sandown, Isle of Wight.
4480: On
display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
4497: On
display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
Bibliography
Ford, Daniel
(September–October 1999). "Sought After Classic: N3N-3 Canary — Often
Misidenti-fied, Always Loved!". Air Enthusiast (83): 68–71.
Holmes, Tony (2005). Jane's
Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide. London: Harper Collins.
Sapienza, Antonio Luis (May
2001). "L'aviation militare paraguayenne durant la seconde guerre
mondiale" [Paraguayan Military Aviation During the Second World War].
Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (98): 30–33.
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| This U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary was the first aircraft landing at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, on 7 September 1940. |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary (BuNo 1777) at Parris Island, South Carolina, in May 1942. The N3Ns were used to tow Schweizer LNS-1 gliders of the Marine glider program. |
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| U.S. Navy N3N trainers awaiting engines and other parts at Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 28 June 1937. |
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| Production of U.S. Navy N3N Canary trainers at the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia; c. 1930s. |
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| View of the assembly line of the N3N Yellow Peril at the U.S. Navy's Naval Aircraft Factory; c. 1937. The N3N made its first flight in August 1935. |
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| Three U.S. Navy N3N trainers flying over Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois, in the early 1940s. |
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| N3N-1, BuNo 0984. |
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| N3N-1s on training flight. |
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| N3N-3, BuNo 1790, with N3N-1 landing gear. |
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| Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary trainer (1787). |
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| Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1. |
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| NAF XN3N-1 (9991) on wheels. |
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| Starting the engine of an N3N-1. |
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| Tail of N3N-3, BuNo 2590, at left, with another N3N-3 in background. |
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| N3N-3s on the flight line. |
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| A USMC pilot stands beside his N3N-3. Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. The N3N-3 was used to tow gliders. |
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| A USMC pilot checks the Wright Whirlwind radial piston engine of his N3N-3 Canary, Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. |
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| A USMC pilot stands beside his N3N-3. Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. |
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| A USMC pilot with an N3N-3. Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. |
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| A USMC pilot with an N3N-3. Parris Island, South Carolina, circa May 1942. |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps NAF N3N-3 “Yellow Peril” towing three LNS-1 gliders at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps NAF N3N-3 “Yellow Peril” towing three LNS-1 gliders at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps NAF N3N-3 “Yellow Peril” towing three LNS-1 gliders at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| Marine pilot trainees with NAF N3N-3 at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| Marine pilot in NAF N3N-3 at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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A U.S. Navy Naval
Aircraft Factory N3N-1 (BuNo 0680) assigned to flight test duties at Naval Air
Station Anacostia, Washington D.C.
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The single U.S.
Navy Naval Aircraft Factory XN3N-2 Canary or Yellow Peril (BuNo 0265) training
biplane in flight. Various handling and control problems of the N3N-1 were
tried to correct with the XN3N-2 prototype which was ordered in October 1935. This aircraft was powered by
the 240 hp (179 kW) Wright R-760-96 engine. In order to reduce the tail
heaviness, the aircraft was equipped with new engine mounts and a longer engine
cowling, some equipment was also moved forward. The XN3N-2 made its first
flight at the NAF Mustin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 11 August
1936. However, it was found that this aircraft did not adequately improve
performance. Therefore, the N3N-1 BuNo 0020 was converted into the XN3N-3
prototype, which went into production.
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| Aviation cadets check flight boards for last minute instructions at Naval Air Training Center Corpus Christi, Texas. In the background is a NAF N3N-3 (2828). |
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Gathered around
the schedule board a group of Navy students listens to a last minute briefing
by their instructor.
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| A U.S. Coast Guard Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary trainer (V196) in 1941. Four were acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard in December 1940 to expedite pilot training. The N3N was a two-place primary training biplane built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The N3N was delivered both as a landplane and a seaplane. Four of the N3N-3 aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1941. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Yellow Peril (BuNo 2885) photographed in front of building 57, Naval Air Station Anacostia, Washington D.C. in 1940. A Grumman JRF-4 Goose (BuNo 3852), assigned to NAS Anacostia, is in the background. This aircraft was sold by the U.S. Navy on 31 July 1946. It later crashed on 3 December 1946 at the Llanganattes Range, Ecuador (civil registration HC-SBL). |
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| U.S. Navy Stearman N2S and Naval Aircraft Factory N3N training planes taxiing to the flight line at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, during flight training operations in 1942-1943. The plane in foreground is a Stearman N2S-3. |
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| A U.S. Navy primary flight training planes at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, 1943. The aircraft are either Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Canarys (with red fuselage band), or Stearman N2S Kaydets. Note the tetrahedron wind direction indicator in the upper right. |
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| U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N and Stearman N2S trainers on the flight line at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, 1941-1942. |
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| Dozens of so-called Yellow Perils—Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 primary trainers—fill the ramps, taxiways, and sky at Rodd Field, one of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi's auxiliary fields, in a 1942 watercolor by Vernon Howe Bailey. |
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| NAF N3N-1, Oakland. |
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| Naval Aircraft Factory XN3N-1 (9991). |
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NAF XN3N-1 (9991)
with greenhouse cockpit, Anacostia, 1944.
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1 Canary (BuNo 0717) in flight, circa 1930s. |
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| NAF N3N-1 0692, Oakland, 1940. |
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| NAF N3N-3s over County Causeway, Palm and Star Islands, Miami Beach, Florida. |
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| A U.S. Coast Guard Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 at Floyd Bennett Field, New York, in 1943. The USCG operated four N3Ns from 1940 to 1945 (V193-V196). |
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| NAF N3N front cockpit. |
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| NAF N3N rear cockpit. |
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| NAF XN3N-1 (9991) on floats. |
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NAF N3N-1s (0037 in foreground).
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1 Canary trainer (BuNo 0081) taking off on 7 March 1944. |
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| Mary Josephine Farley, who at 20 is considered a top notch mechanic, working on a Wright Whirlwind airplane motor which she rebuilt at a Naval Air Base. The aircraft is an N3N-3 floatplane, circa October 1942. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1 trainer at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, August 1942. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1 (BuNo 0041) training biplane with floats on the beach at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. An instructor demonstrates handling to a student. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 trainer (BuNo 2920) assigned to VN-7D8 (Training Squadron 7, Eighth Naval District) is craned out of the water at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, circa 1944. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary (BuNo 2736) on floats, used for primary seaplane training. The aircraft paint color was all-yellow with silver floats and this picture was taken on 7 January 1942 at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 trainer in flight near Naval Air Station Anacostia, Washington D.C. |
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| Flight's over—an N3N training plane is safe on the dolly and pilot and instructor go back to the hangar. After fulfilling their service schedules, planes at the Corpus Christi, Texas, naval air base are completely reconditioned by civil service mechanics attached to the base. U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 trainers at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, August 1942. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 trainer (BuNo 1759) in flight over the Pennsylvania countryside. |
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| A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-1 Canary trainer on a seaplane ramp at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, circa 1942. The plane has panels removed for maintenance just aft of the engine. This N3N is BuNo 0265. This airplane is the only N3N-2 that was ever built. It was made to help correct some flight characteristics by raising the location of the horizontal elevator in relation to the lower wing. This is 0265 with a -1 rudder fitted as the -2 rudder was a different design all together. You can see the differences in tail design by looking at any picture of the -1 version. |
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| N3N-1, BuNo 1978. |
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| N3N-1. |
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| A U.S. Marine Corps Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Canary towing three Schweizer LNS-1 gliders of the Marine glider program at Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| U.S. Marine Corps Schweizer LNS-1 gliders being towed by N3N-3 Canary over Parris Island, South Carolina, May 1942. |
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| N3N-3. |
