The World War II Gallery in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio houses one of the world’s top collections of World War II aircraft. Shown below are some of the trainers which are on display.
Curtiss AT-9 Fledgling (“Jeep”)
According to the Museum:
The AT-9 advanced trainer was used to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and twin-engine combat aircraft. The prototype first flew in 1941, and the production version entered service in 1942. The prototype had a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and fabric-covered wings, but production AT-9s were of stressed metal skin construction. The AT-9 was not easy to fly or land, making it particularly suitable for teaching new pilots to cope with the demanding flight characteristics of a new generation of high-performance, multi-engine aircraft such as the Martin B-26 and Lockheed P-38. Although the AT-9 originally bore the nickname "Fledgling," it was more widely known as the "Jeep." Four hundred ninety-one AT-9s and 300 AT-9As were built before production ended in February 1943.
This aircraft has a top speed of 197 mph, a cruising speed of 173 mph, a range of 750 miles, and a ceiling of 19,000 feet.
Laister-Kauffmann TG-4A
According to the Museum:
Laister-Kauffmann built the TG-4A in response to an urgent U.S. Army Air Forces requirement for a glider to train assault glider pilots. The TG-4A was a military version of the Laister-Kauffmann Model LK-10 Yankee Doodle two-seat soaring glider. Laister-Kauffmann delivered the first prototype XTG-4 in late December 1941; the company delivered the first production aircraft in July 1942 and completed the last of 150 TG-4As in June 1943.
The fuselage of the TG-4A is made of fabric-covered welded steel tubing while the tail is made of fabric-covered wood. The internal wing structure is wood with the forward one-third of the leading edge covered by plywood and the remainder covered with fabric. The TG-4A, like other early USAAF training gliders, was not an ideal trainer because its flying qualities were very different from cargo gliders. While the TG-4A could soar (and even gain altitude under the right conditions), cargo gliders could only descend with a small margin for error, especially when fully loaded. Student glider pilots normally received about six hours dual instruction in a soaring trainer before flying the larger and heavier CG-4A cargo glider.
Beech AT-10 Wichita
According to the Museum:
In 1940-1941 Beech Aircraft designed an advanced, multi-engine trainer that could be easily manufactured on a large scale. To conserve scarce metals needed for combat aircraft, Beech built the airframe out of plywood with only the engine cowlings and cockpit enclosure constructed of aluminum. The fuel tanks also were made of wood and covered with neoprene, a synthetic rubber. The extensive use of wood permitted Beech to subcontract the production of many components to furniture makers and other firms. The AT-10 had superior performance among twin engine trainers of its type, and over half of the U.S. Army Air Force's pilots received transitional training from single- to multi-engine aircraft in them.
This aircraft has a top speed of 190 mph, a range of 660 miles, and a ceiling of 20,000 feet. It is powered by two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines of 295 horsepower each.
Beech AT-11 Kansan
According to the Museum:
The AT-11 was the standard U.S. Army Air Forces World War II bombing trainer; about 90 percent of the more than 45,000 USAAF bombardiers trained in AT-11s. Like the C-45 transport and the AT-7 navigation trainer, the Kansan was a military version of the Beechcraft Model 18 commercial transport. Modifications included a transparent nose, a bomb bay, internal bomb racks and provisions for flexible guns for gunnery training.
Student bombardiers normally dropped 100-pound sand-filled practice bombs. In 1943 the USAAF established a minimum proficiency standard of 22 percent hits on target for trainees. Typical combat training missions took continuous evasive action within a 10-mile radius of the target with straight and level final target approaches that lasted no longer than 60 seconds. After Sept. 30, 1943, the AT-11 usually carried a Norden Bombsight and a C-1 automatic pilot, which allowed the bombardier student to guide the aircraft during the bombing run.
This aircraft has a top speed of 215 mph, a cruising speed of 150 mph, a range of 745 miles, and a ceiling of 20,000 feet. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines of 450 horsepower each.
Stearman PT-13D Kaydet
According to the Museum:
The United States and several Allied nations used the Kaydet as a standard primary trainer from the late 1930s to the end of World War II. Originally designed in 1933 by Lloyd Stearman for the civilian market, it received the designation PT-13 Kaydet when the U.S. Army Air Corps adopted it in 1936. Two years later, the Boeing Airplane Co. purchased the Stearman Co. and continued producing many versions of the Kaydet using different engines. Those aircraft with a Lycoming engine were designated the PT-13; with a Continental engine, the PT-17; and with a Jacobs engine, the PT-18. A later version with a cockpit canopy was designated the PT-27.
Well-liked by students who flew it, the Kaydet trained many thousands of pilots during WWII. Following the war, the U.S. Army Air Forces phased out Kaydets in favor of more modern trainers. Of the more than 10,000 Kaydets ordered for the United States and its allies, over 2,100 were PT-13s for the USAAF.
This aircraft has a top speed of 125 mph, a range of 450 miles, and a ceiling of 14,000 feet.
Vultee BT-13B Valiant
According to the Museum:
The Valiant was the basic trainer most widely used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. 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 and to operate landing flaps and a two-position variable pitch propeller.
Nicknamed the "Vibrator" by the pilots who flew it, the BT-13 was powered by a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine. Because of a shortage of these engines, however, 1,693 Valiants flew with Wright R-975 engines, thereby becoming BT-15s. By the end of WWII, 10,375 BT-13s and BT-15s had been accepted by the USAAF.
This aircraft has a top speed of 155 mph, a cruising speed of 130 mph, a range of 880 miles, and a ceiling of 19,400 feet.
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Museum of Flight: World War II carrier-based airplanes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II American fighters (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II Japanese planes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II German Planes (photo diary)