T6 Harvard Warbird – Warbird training and conversions

T6 Harvard Ltd has been training pilots to fly the Harvard since 2010. As a result, T6 Harvard Ltd has become one of the most experienced Harvard training organisations in Europe and has trained many pilots who have gone on to fly the Spitfire, Hurricane, and Mustang P-51.

T6 Harvard Ltd offers conversion courses for pilots who would like to qualify on the Harvard to solo standard.

We are one of the only companies in the world that offer this opportunity. For some pilots, it takes several hours to achieve the required standard to take this historic aircraft aloft solo, and for others, it takes to it very quickly; however, this is the exception, not the rule! The Harvard continues to be the go-to aircraft as the “Advanced Trainer” for fighter aircraft designed to do what it was intended to do 80 years ago. Our Mk4 Harvard is stunning in its DAF livery and a joy to fly in fantastic condition inside and out… We aim to get you up to “solo standard.

T6 Harvard Ltd – Cost-effective training:

Hourly rates are based on air time and are per hour wet, including inc VAT, landing fees and instruction (T&C apply).

T6 Harvard Warbird – Warbird training and conversions – Minimum criteria for starting the course: 

• UK Part FCL PPL Licence
• UK CAA Medical Class 2
• 400 hours total flight time P1
• 200 hours P1 logged on tail draggers such as the Auster, Pitts, Extra Cub Chipmunk etc
• Assessment of skill in the Auster or Chipmunk before training.
• Satisfactorily complete a 1-hour duel check ride with one of our instructors in the Auster, Chipmunk, or similar aircraft.
• Pass the T6 Harvard Ltd written test.
• One hour of dual training from the back seat of the Harvard before transitioning to the front.

See below our free downloads and training material:

Pre-course study material, see below:

Free download – RCAF – Pilots-Operating-Instructions – 42.6Mb

Free download – 1945 AAF Advanced Single-Engine Flying Instructor’s Manual If you are interested in a conversion course to the mighty Harvard, please download the above manuals to whet your appetite for free! The RCAF manual is relevant to our MK4 T6 Harvard. (G-BJST Wacky Wabbit)

Free download – Wacky Wabbit Checklist version 1 Free download of the essential checklist is something to study and commit to memory.

Free download – Other aircraft manuals are available by clicking on this link. We are always collecting and downloading manuals which we offer on this website for free. In addition, we are always looking for warbird manuals to add to our collection to share with other enthusiasts.

Free Training Video – “Tailwheel locking mechanism” – At T6 Harvard Ltd, we pride ourselves on giving customers the best training based on our many years of owning and operating the Harvard. We have a vast range of training videos to help our students visualise some of the essential mechanical aspects of the training.

This video is an excellent visual aid to understanding the complexities of the Harvard tail wheel steering and the Mustang P-51 – Best of all; it’s free as we believe in sharing the knowledge as “Safety always comes first.”

• Harvard Start Taxi & Take-off – Author Andy Goodall
• Harvard Landing Techniques – Author Andy Goodall

To see the cockpit of the Wabbit, please click on the links below:

Front Cockpit (Enlarge)         Rear Cockpit (Enlarge)             Front Cockpit (Enlarge)

Advanced training – Whether looking for a complete T-6 checkout or recurrent training, you will walk away with a thorough understanding of the aircraft and the confidence, proficiency, and respect that the T-6 Harvard demands. Our experienced warbird instructors can also offer transition programs for those wishing to advance to high-performance WWII fighter aircraft. We will tailor the training package to suit your background and experience level, making the step to the bigger fighter aircraft an enjoyable, safe, and educational experience. Contact us

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T6 Harvard “Solo” Wall of Fame – Student testimonials

Dave Higgins is the second student to qualify in 2022! Well done, Dave Higgins, who started his initial Harvard training with us in 2020 and qualified as a solo Harvard pilot on 15th January 2022. Dave is a commercially rated helicopter pilot and is now a Warbird pilot! Well done, Dave and welcome to TEAM WABBIT!

Adam Lacey joins the Wabbit Team on 7th January 2022.

Talent spotting: One of the aims of T6 Harvard Ltd is to bring on new pilots and encourage the next generation of Warbird pilots. One of the directors noticed Adams’s passion for warbirds and offered him the chance to instruct for T6 Harvard Ltd if he did the conversion training syllabus with us.

Adam did not disappoint and currently holds the record with us at T6 Harvard Ltd for going solo in the shortest possible time on 7th January 2022! Adam began his aviation career serving ten years in the RAF as a Weapons Systems Officer on the Tornado GR4. Leaving the RAF in 2016, he started his commercial pilot training and, in 2018, joined British Airways as a First Officer on the Airbus A320. Adam instructs on single-engine piston aircraft in his spare time and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for aviation with others, particularly when flying vintage aircraft. Well done, Adam and welcome to TEAM WABBIT!

Trevor Lawrence goes solo in the Wabbit in December 2021! Flying Instructor –

Trevor Lawrence, a commercial airline pilot and qualified flying instructor, goes solo on the mighty T6 Harvard with just 5 hours of training. Trevor has flown many vintage types, such as the Tiger Moth and the Steerman, and subsequently became an instructor flying T9 Spitfires!

Jeremy Liber joined the Wabbit Team in 2021 – Another record-breaker!

Flying Instructor: Jeremy, now a fully-fledged Hurricane pilot,  joined the Wabbit team in 2021, having signed up for the Hurricane School. Having done some previous Harvard flying, his conversion was quite simple, and he went solo in Wacky Wabbit after just three hours of refresher training. Having gained his licence on DH82a Tiger Moths and now with over 2600 hours total time, virtually all on tailwheel/skid aeroplanes, he’s flown aircraft as diverse as Currie Wot and Ryan ST-A as well as the Harvard. He sees himself as very much a vintage aircraft pilot. In ‘real life, he’s a consultant aeronautical engineer, holds an FI(A) rating with aerobatics instructional privileges and has taught aerobatics on the Pitts S2A and Stampe SV4C. He spends a few days a week giving flying lessons in Tiger Moths. Jeremy has completed all the necessary conversion training and will be taking part as an instructor for T6 Harvard Ltd during 2022 and beyond. Well done, Jeremy and welcome to TEAM WABBIT.

Dom Geddis joins the Wabbit team in 2021 – Another talented pilot joins the ranks!

Flying Instructor: Dom came to us in 2021 and asked a simple question… “Can you teach me to fly a Harvard, and can I solo it”? The answer was, “Well, give it a go and see what happens” Dom was already a tailwheel instructor on aircraft like the Chipmunk, so it proved to be a reasonably straightforward transition. Sure enough, Dom was doing great after a few hours, and he achieved his dream after around 6 hours on 25th June 2021, which is way above average with one of our expert instructors. We were so impressed with Dom’s attitude and professionalism that we offered him a slot as an instructor on our team at T6 Harvard Ltd. Dom will now have his first season as an instructor giving experience flights at some of our prestigious locations from 2022 onwards. Well done, Dom and welcome to TEAM WABBIT!

David Petters re-qualifying in the Wacky Wabbit 2020

A commercial 737 pilot and warbird enthusiast, David Petters, exchanges his airliner for the Wacky Wabbit! David originally qualified in G-BJST before she was painted as the Wabbit! Check out Wabbit’s old paint scheme.

David is a Co-owner of a Chipmunk syndicate and has many hours flying the Chippy and instructing in it. In addition, David has many hours in the Tiger Moth and, as of 2022, has become one of the senior instructors at T6 Harvard Ltd as a Flying Instructor who instructs on the experience flights and the Harvard Conversion training as a qualified rear seat instructor. Well done, David and welcome to TEAM WABBIT!

Andy made his first T6 Harvard solo in April 2013  – “Most pilots dream of flying a warbird. Quote: “After many years of flying GA aircraft, I transitioned from ‘nose draggers’ to ‘tail draggers’ (traditional landing gear) and never looked back”!

“Having completed my tailwheel differences training, I transitioned to the magnificent Harvard”. T6 Harvard Ltd allowed me to solo, then continued to mentor me until I qualified as a Harvard display pilot (DA) Cat B. Andy has over 500 hours on the Harvard and has flown nine different Harvards worldwide. His time on Harvards consists primarily of aerobatics and airshow practices. Andy has flown the Mustang P-51, gaining ten hours on three other Mustangs, and continued to build over 15 hours on the Hawker Hurricane, several hours on the T-28C Trojan and a category C display authorisation.

Andy is a Class Rating Instructor (CRI) and now instructs new students on the mighty T6 Harvard and became a Director of T6 Harvard Ltd. (If you want to know more, take a look at Andy’s Bio on this Link) Welcome, Andy …CAPTAIN – TEAM WABBIT!

One of the many reviews to be found on our Trust Pilot review page: Link

Trust pilot review: I recently completed my Harvard conversion training at T-6 Harvard Ltd. Even though flying this immense, radial-engined beauty doesn’t come cheap, it was worth every single penny: the aeroplane is immaculate and very well looked after by the best warbird engineering firm in the business (no expenses spared here!) while the people managing the operations are probably the warmest and friendly “Brits” I’ve ever met. Dave and Andy were super helpful in arranging a slot of 5 days for me to complete my conversion during the very few HP days that Airline Flying allows during peak season. Of these five days, four were spent flying, with Dave coaching me through all the peculiar characteristics of the Harvard, both on the ground and in flight, slowly helping to build my confidence in this lovely flying machine in a precise and non-intrusive way: at the end of these days I was sunburnt like an idiot, confident in the aircraft, and with a massive grin on my face that still refuses to go away…two weeks later! So, if you are lucky enough to have bought one and need dual instruction or if you are a bored Airbus driver (like me) looking for a challenge to spark up the flame of passion that only flying “proper aeroplanes” gives well, look no further: this is the place for you! “Tally-ho!”

We coach aerobatics in the Harvard Mk 4 and prepare you for your Display authorisation.

See the below videos to help and inspire you: Landing at Duxford on runway 24 grass with a gusty crosswind – Crosswind training is part of the progression training that we specialise in. Harvard is notoriously difficult to land at the best times; however, we can teach the necessary skills to tackle some of the most challenging conditions.

At the Little Gransden event on 29th August 2021, Andy Andy Goodall puts the Wacky Wabbit through its paces with the new smoke system. Displaying from 100 feet, the Wabbit performs effortlessly with the carefully choreographed routine, which has been worked on and honed for the last few years.

The below video was made in conjunction with Dreams ofWingss, who regularly fly the A2A simulator. In this video, I go through a full cockpit check (5:52 seconds)in the Wacky Wabbit. Anyone new to the Wacky Wabbit would benefit from this video as I give a complete orientation and adlibbing as I go! It is raw but factual and provides the student with an excellent heads-up pre-course on what to expect. It is also suitable for the pilot who hasn’t flown to watch and refresh in a while. Enjoy!

The video below is the A2A flight sim based on a T6-G Texan with the Wacky Wabbit Skin. I like this video because it’s based on a T6-G similar to the Harvard MK4 and will give you a flavour of what to expect when flying the real thing! So watch and enjoy as you pass the Texan from Wycombe Airpark.

When I was on the Red Devils Free Fall Team, we produced an end-of-year team film of all the year’s highlights; I guess those habits die hard! So this is a brief video with some of the highlights of 2020, even though it was a terrible year for aviation due

Harvard training 2019

This is what you can do when you get your DA! Some pre-display training in Turkey in the T6-G Texan “Happy Hour” N726KM

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