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The T-34 Association was formed in July 1975 so that individuals purchasing then military surplus T-34As had an organization which would provide support for these aircraft. The idea was to share operating and maintenance information to all members. The organization was formed by Charlie Nogle, Earl Parks, and Bob Morris.
The charter membership included 75 members, mostly Civil Air Patrol pilots who were flying these aircraft on missions and buying them from the government. Charlie Nogle and his oldest son Jim Nogle would publish the early news letter from their base in Champaign Illinois. Earl Parks would supply technical information on the Mentors from his base in Amarillo Texas.
The pipeline for most of the T-34s at that time was the Civil Air Patrol and all of these aircraft were T-34A models. The Navy was still operating the T-34B models and few if any had made it into civilian hands yet. When the Navy began operating the T-34C turbine aircraft and phased out the T-34B models, auctions and other agency sales allowed the release of these B-models into civilian hands. Once this occurred the Association began to grow even faster.
As the popularity of the T-34 Mentor grew over the years so did the T-34 Association. Today there are over 400 members in the Association and many are not aircraft owners. The T-34 Association is a repository for all technical, historical, and operational data for the piston powered models. Members meet fellow pilots and T-34 enthusiasts through the association. Many members find social and flying events to attend through the association and many prospective buyers learn about these aircraft through our web site and publications.