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Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:39 am 
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Hi there,

My dad is turning 60 early May 2021 and he has been dreaming of flying the Harvard he went solo in when he was in the South African Air Force. It was registered as SAAF 7684 and I have found the following:

Serial #: 42-44047
Construction #:
88-13660
Civil Registration:
N684RC
Model(s):
AT-6C Texan
Name: None
Status: Airworthy
Last info: 2005
History:
Delivered to South African AF as 7684.
- BOC: 1952
- SOC: 1995
- One of 65 T-6's reconditioned T-6/SNJ's via U.S. Dealer, 1952.
Longmont Aviation Co, Longmont, CO, September 17, 1996.
- Registered as N684RC.
- Shipped disassembled and crated to Huntington, IN, 1996.
-- Assembled and certified.
Rob Coussens/Aero Retro Warbirds Inc, Wilmington, DE, December 3, 1996-2005.
- Restored to airworthy, first flight August 17, 2000.
- Flown as SAAF 7684.

Can someone help me find out where it is now and if it’s still airworthy/who I can contact about it?

Estee - wants to win daughter of the decade.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:54 am 
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That is a corporate address. Possibly based in Scottsdale, Arizona

http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDos ... rial=30708


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:57 am 
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Based on the lack of pictures on the internet, this plane may not have flown in quite a while.

You can always write to the address and see if you get a response. I believe the Delaware "ownership" address is for business purposes only and the aircraft actually resides in another location.

https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquir ... rtxt=684RC

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:36 pm 
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When you have the name of the owner and an address in Wilmington, DE, I think you stand a better chance of contacting the owner by just googling them. Look what I found here: https://www.beenverified.com/people/robert-coussens/ (#1)
Privacy? Thank God that word is just an entry in a dictionary. /sarcasm off

PS Perhaps this will only win you the Daughter of the Year award :-), but you can also buy a slide of SAAF 7684 here: https://planeslides.com/products/3358

Good luck,
Roger


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 11:11 pm 
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Indeed I hope you are successful in winning the daughter of the decade award, both for your sake and that of your father. Worst cast scenario, he would probably quite satisfied with a ride in any AT-6/SNJ/Harvard. Good luck in your quest.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:34 am 
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I think the owner lives in Bisbee, AZ

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:11 pm 
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Location: Nevada
I contacted a friend of mine who is pretty familiar with most of the T-6's around the Phoenix metroplex and I will let you know what he comes up with.

Scott....


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 12:37 pm 
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Location: Netherlands
Hi,

There's obviously a typo somewhere:

North American AT-6 -NA Texan
7684 59 - 1950 40- 2124, NR66628, 7684(SAAF), N684RC

North American AT-6C-10-NT Texan
7694 88 -13660 42-44047(USAAF), N1780B, 7694(SAAF). crashed 1965/08/31, killing J.J. Delport

Regards,

Benno


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:00 pm 
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Thank you all for the help so far!

Keeping my fingers crossed hoping someone knows someone who knows what happened to it :)


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:03 pm 
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BennoT6 wrote:
Hi,

There's obviously a typo somewhere:

North American AT-6 -NA Texan
7684 59 - 1950 40- 2124, NR66628, 7684(SAAF), N684RC

North American AT-6C-10-NT Texan
7694 88 -13660 42-44047(USAAF), N1780B, 7694(SAAF). crashed 1965/08/31, killing J.J. Delport

Regards,

Benno



No, it’s definitely SAAF 7684 - he went solo in 1981. Has the records in his logbook and have seen photos of 7684.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:27 pm 
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Location: Netherlands
Hi,

Yes, I expect that to fit in the timeframe/age. Previous identity though is not as was listed in the first posting.

Regards,

Benno


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 9:26 am 
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North American AT-6C, 7684, 59-1950 from the book AT-6 Harvard in South African Service

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 8:46 am 
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The SAAF folks will remind you that it is a "Harvard IIa" and not an AT-6C.

:)

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:24 am 
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Randy
just quoting the book, I have a copy of it done by the folks in SA.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 8:54 am 
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Stoney wrote:
Randy
just quoting the book, I have a copy of it done by the folks in SA.


Naah, just a joke. The dataplates say AT-6C but the SAAF folks are sticklers for the naming convention.

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