Zeke, you didn't say you wanted "reason", you said you wanted to know about the T6.....
Here are some observations from a few decades of owning and flying one:
-they burn gas. Lots of gas. Figure 30 gph in normal ops (yep, you can get it lower), and 40 doing tail chase/acro
-they can bite. Stall warning is minimal, and there is no stall horn. It's all aerodynamic. Some give more warning than others. The "airshow turn" has killed a number of people.
-they are fun. Reasonably fast (140 kts or so), canopy closes so you can fly in winter or summer, canopy opens so you can fly along with the wind blowing your scarf...
-you can fly acro, you can fly formation, you can do ACM...at least as long as your credit card holds out.
-maintenance is pretty straight forward. They are no more complex than a Bonanza, maybe even easier than a Bo. Parts are still plentiful, though not as plentiful as they were 30 years ago.
-Radials are fun. They are also nasty. I recommend a rocker oil retrieval kit. Well worth the money.
-they are incredibly nostalgic. But they are not as easy to "pull out and go" as a modern plane.
-they are much more fun if you have 2 or more around. Mine is spending the summer with a friend, he is hosting a big get together which will have 15 or more of them flying formation...that type of thing is *fun*.
-a wing that has a film of oil on it will redefine "slick" for you.
-they like to be flown. Let 'em sit, and they don't do well. Fly it often, it is much lower maintenance.
-it's a time travel machine. When you are patrolling the hostile skies of the Northeast, you are easily transported back in time 50 or more years.
-expect oil stains. Lots of oil stains.
-it will humble you. You'll do a few dozen really good landings, and it will reach up and slap you and you'll wonder just "what the hell happened".
she will then laugh at you.
Mine still has stock brakes. Im on the second set of shoes in 25 years on it. I'm of the opinion that redlines aren't necessary on a T6. (different opinion on a Stearman, BTW).
-diamond tread tires are cool looking. They don't wear worth a hoot. The "tire fairy" tells me a Convair nosewheel tire will fit, and wears like iron.
-make sure the AD on the wing attach angles is done. NATA has a good AMOC for this. Consider the skid guards that NATA had, if there are any still available.
-They leak. They *all* leak. The Navy gave up on making them watertight decades ago. Get a canopy cover, and use it, if you have to be out and there is a chance of rain. Your radios will thank you.
-I strongly believe an engine monitor is helpful. JPI makes a 9-cylinder model. You can't always hear/feel a bad mag check, with 9 cylinders. 8 still sound pretty good. I've picked up a "non-firing" cylinder on one mag with it before. Lots of T6 guys don't use engine monitors. I do.
-Get/keep a spare tailwheel tire/tube. You can easily fix a main flat on the road (done that), but if you ruin a tailwheel tube on the road it's a show-stopper.
-They fly great IFR. At night, it's easy to lean by the color of the flame. It's also easy to make a scene landing. Somehow the ground isn't as easy to find at night....
-Check on insurance. Mine isn't too bad, but....
-you will need a tug.
If you want, I'll occasionally throw some more random stuff out for you. Nathan "Dirt" Davis is on here, he has a Six. Doug R. has flown a lot of them.
Prior to getting an L-19, I said for years that there was no better warbird "bang for the buck" than the T6. I think the L-19 is a serious contender, especially as I get older/lazier. I'm glad I have access to both.
If you ever had aspirations to more of the WWII planes, T6 time is "the coin of the realm" in getting into them. A *good*, well qualified T6 pilot (not all owners are) can transition to a Corsair/Mustang without difficulty.
The hardest part is continuing to write checks. I've convinced myself to sell mine many times...then I go fly it again.
