The first prototype of the aircraft which is today known as the Harvard, was privately developed and flown for the first time in Baltimore in 1935. After modifications it became the standard trainer aircraft in the American Air Force. The South African Air Force already used it for training in 1939. The Harvard airoplane is the only training aircraft in the world that has been utilised for more than fifty years.
The ten Harvard Aircraft which are declared as cultural treasures, can be identified by the following Harvard numbers of the South African Air force: 7024, 7028, 2059, 7152, 7156, 7166, 7306, 7592, 7643 and 7661.
