A Little Trainer’s Legacy

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, technological leaps in aircraft design and performance recast the nature of air warfare. The relentless process of technical refinement and manufacturing produced advances like jet engines, pressurized cabins, radar, computers, rocket propulsion, synthetic rubber, and the Norden bombsite—too many to list! At that time, a number of aircraft designers were experimenting with different, lightweight materials for aircraft construction. Shortages of war materials, including aluminum alloys and steel, accelerated the demand for these materials and innovative manufacturing processes. Enter Otto Timm and his designers from the little-known Timm Aircraft company and their N2T-1 “Tutor” low-wing trainer, similar to the Fairchild PT-19, -23, and -26 models. It was constructed from Aeromold, a strong, resin-infused molded plywood that was bonded and baked—an early composite material. Here at Flight…