Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3

Designed and built at the U.S. Navy’s own aircraft factory within the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the N3N fulfilled the same Primary Trainer role as the near-ubiquitous Boeing-Stearman Kaydet. While both aircraft types appear very similar in profile, beneath the N3N’s fabric skin lies an entirely metal structure, riveted and bolted together, in contrast to the Kaydet’s welded tubular steel fuselage truss and wooden wings. The Navy even purchased the manufacturing rights to produce their own Wright R-760 Whirlwind engines to power the N3N as well.  

The Museum’s N3N-3 (BuNo 2892) initially served at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida beginning in June 1941, but subsequently moved to NAS Glenview, near Chicago, Illinois. The aircraft also supported contract training organized via the U.S. Government’s War Training Service (a follow-on to the Civilian Pilot Training Program) between 1943 and 1945. Our N3N is equipped with floats like those wartime examples used for instructing seaplane pilots.