Bt 13 Aircraft - The "Valiant" was the basic trainer most widely used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) during WWII. It represented the second of the three stages of pilot training—primary, basic and advanced. Compared with the primary trainers in use at the time, it was considerably more complex.
The BT-13 not only had a more powerful engine, it was also faster and heavier. In addition, it required the student pilot to use two-way radio communications with the ground, operate landing flaps and a two-position variable pitch propeller.
Bt 13 Aircraft
Nicknamed the "Vibrator" by the pilots who flew it, the BT-13 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine. But to counter the shortage of these engines early in the BT-13 production program, 1,693 Valiants were produced in 1941-1942 with a Wright R-975 engine and were designated as BT-15s.
Design And Development
By the end of WW II, 10,375 BT-13s and BT-15s had been accepted by the USAAF. The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces.
A subsequent variant of the BT-13 in USAAC/USAAF service was known as the BT-15 Valiant, while an identical version for the US Navy was known as the SNV and was used to train naval aviators for the US Navy and its sister services
, the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard. From this design, evolved the VF-54A. Instead of retractable gear, it had fixed gear very nicely faired and a revised power plant of a Pratt & Whitney R-985-T3B Wasp Jr.
radial rated at 450 hp (335.5 kW) and the Vultee BT-13 Valiant was born. The USAAC was made aware of the improvements made to the aircraft and in August 1939 the type was ordered as the BT-13.
The initial order was for 300 aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney R-985-25 radial and the first of these was accepted by the USAAC in June 1940. One notable post-war "variant" of the BT's are the "Tora" aircraft.
In 1968 Twentieth Century Fox purchased nine BT-13/15 and modified them for use in the motion picture "Tora! Tora! Tora!". The "Val" dive bombers seen in this film are actually BT-13 and BT-15. The "Zero" fighters and "Kate" torpedo bombers are mostly Harvard IV's.
After the film, these aircraft were sold to private owners. Many are still flying, several of them as part of the Commemorative Air Force's "Tora! Tora! Tora!" squadron, which performs air battle reenactments at air shows.
Several "Tora" aircraft also appeared in the later "Pearl Harbor" film. It was back in 1938 that Vultee Aircraft's chief designer, Richard Palmer, began the design of a fighter. At this time the USAAC issued a requirement and design contest for an advanced trainer for which substantial orders had been promised to the winner.
Palmer began to adapt his design concept from a fighter to that of an advanced trainer and the result of this was the V-51 prototype. The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces.
A subsequent variant of the BT-13 in USAAC/USAAF service was known as the BT-15 Valiant, while an identical version for the US Navy was known as the SNV and was used to train naval aviators for the US Navy and its sister services
, the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard. Due to the demand for this aircraft, and others which used the same Pratt & Whitney engine, some were equipped with Wright power plants of similar size and power built in 1941-42.
The Wright-equipped aircraft were designated BT-15. The aircraft made its maiden flight on 24 March 1939[1] as a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction. Despite the use of metal throughout the design the control surfaces remained fabric-covered.
The prototype was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S3H1-G Wasp radial rated at 600 hp (447 kW) driving a two-blade variable pitch metal propeller. Other features include an enclosed cockpit for the crew of two, integral fuel tanks in the wings, and a hydraulic system for the operation of the flaps and retractable main landing gear.
Virtually every potential pilot trained by the Army Air Force in World War II did their Basic Flight course in a BT-13. The Valiant was an excellent trainer for new pilots since it had very docile handling characteristics.
One feature of the aircraft that was not appreciated led to its unflattering nickname "Vibrator." In high speed flight the canopy rattled in a disconcerting manner that tended to distract new pilots. The first BT-13s entered Army service in 1939 and eventually more than 11,000 were built.
An American basic trainer flown by most student pilots during World War II. It was the second phase of the three phase training program for pilots. After primary training, the student pilot moved to the more complex Vultee for basic flight training.
The BT-13 had a larger engine and was faster and heavier than the primary trainers. It required the student pilot to use two way radio and to operate landing flaps and a two-position variable pitch propeller.
A variant is the BT-15. The BT-13A was produced to the extent of 7,037 aircraft and differed only in the use of a Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 radial engine and lack of landing gear fairings. There were 1,125 BT-13B's produced and differed from the A model in having a 24-volt, rather than the original 12-volt electrical system.
The US Navy began to show an interest in the aircraft as well and ordered 1,150 BT-13A models as the SNV-1. In addition, the Navy ordered some 650 aircraft designated as SNV-2, roughly equivalent to the BT-13B.
The Vultee BT-13 was the basic trainer flown by most American pilots during World War II. It was the second phase of the three phase training program for pilots. After primary training in PT-13, PT-17, or PT-19 trainers, the student pilot moved to the more complex Vultee for basic flight training.
The BT-13 had a more powerful engine and was faster and heavier than the primary trainer. It required the student pilot to use two way radio communications with the ground and to operate landing flaps and a two-position Hamilton Standard controllable pitch propeller.
It did not, however, have retractable landing gear nor a hydraulic system. The large flaps are operated by a crank-and-cable system. Its pilots nicknamed it the "Vultee Vibrator." The V-51 was entered into the USAAC competition as the BC-51 during May 1939. The USAAC instead chose the North American BC-2, but purchased the BC-51 prototype anyway, designating it the BC-3.
Despite the disappointment, Palmer was not finished yet. He continued to refine the design of the VF-51 into the VF-54 in an attempt to meet the expectations of an export market for just such a trainer.
The VF-54 used the same basic airframe as the VF-51, but was fitted with a lower powered engine. No export sales were made.
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