Jump to content

Vultee BT-13 Valiant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Vultee V-51)

BT-13 Valiant
A restored Vultee BT-13 over an Airshow in Dallas, 2019
General information
TypeTrainer
ManufacturerVultee Aircraft
Primary usersUnited States Army Air Forces
Number built9,525
History
Introduction dateJune 1940
First flightMarch 1939

The Vultee BT-13 Valiant is an American World War II-era basic (a category between primary and advanced) 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.[1]

Design and development

[edit]
Vultee BC-3 prototype in flight

According to Jonathan Thompson, "The three trainer designs that shared their basic engineering with the Vanguard fighter were all promoted under the same name, Valiant. The prototypes had consectutive serial numbers 139, 140 and 141 and made their first flights in the Spring and Summer of 1939. While similar in appearance, they were distinct in purpose and performance, and only one of them succeeded in winning a production contract. This turned out to be six AC contracts with three supplements, eventually amounting to 11,526 aircraft, plus twelve ordered by Peru, for a total of 11,538."[2]

On 24 March, the Vultee BC-51 advanced trainer first flew, but lost out in competition to the North American AT-6. The Air Corps did accept the Vultee BC-51 though, designating it as the BC-3 after some upgrades in the Spring of 1940. On 9 June, Vultee model 54 advanced trainer first flew. Its original 450-hp Wright Whirlwind was eventually replaced with a R-1340. On 28 July, the Vultee model 54A first flew. According to Thompson, "A Basic Trainer, similar to the model 54 except for its fixed landing gear and P&W R-985 engine, it struck pay dirt. In August the USAAC selected it for volume production as the BT-13. which became the standard type for the category throughout World War II."[2][3]

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 continued 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 (or, more commonly, a constant-speed propeller[1]).

The BT-13A dispensed with the landing gear fairings. Due to the demand for this aircraft, and others which used the same Pratt & Whitney engine, some were equipped with Wright powerplants of similar size and power built in 1941–42. The Wright-equipped aircraft were designated BT-15.[1] The BT-15B had a 24-volt electrical system.[2]

The Navy adopted the P&W powered aircraft as their main basic trainer, designating it the SNV. The BT-13 production run outnumbered all other Basic Trainer (BT) types produced.[4][5]

Vultee BT-13 on runway at Minter Field, California, 1 March 1943

According to Thompson, "Because of Vultee's outstanding production achievement, as well as the service's accelerated training programs, the huge pilot requirements were met by mid-1943 and the last Valiants were built in mid-1944. Except for resonances in various flight modes that earned it the nickname 'Vibrator,' the Valiant's simplicity and effectiveness caused it to be taken for granted, and practically forgotten after all of them were sold at war's end."[2]

The BT-13 was not without its faults. Some had been built with plywood tailcones and empennages, which did not always remain firmly aligned with the aircraft.[1]

Thompson states, "Most of the 5137 Valiants sold in the United States by the War Assets Administration, Reconstruction Finance Corporation and other agencies went for $450, a mere $1/hp, to cropdusters who wanted only the R-985 and R-975 engines."[2]

Variants

[edit]
BT-13B
BT-15
SNV-2
BC-3
Vultee Model V.51 with retractable landing gear and a 600hp P&W R-1340-45, one built, not developed.
BT-13
Vultee Model V.54 with fixed undercarriage and a 450hp P&W R-985-25 engine, 300 built.
BT-13A
As BT-13 but fitted with a 450hp R-985-AN-1 engine and minor changes, 6407 built, survivors re-designated T-13A in 1948.
BT-13B
As BT-13A but with a 24-volt electrical system, 1125 built.
BT-15
As BT-13A with a 450hp Wright R-975-11 engine, 1693 built.
XBT-16
One BT-13A was re-built in 1942 by Vidal with an all-plastic fuselage as the XBT-16.
SNV-1
BT-13As for the United States Navy, 1350 transferred from United States Army Air Corps.
SNV-2
BT-13Bs for the United States Navy, 650 transferred from United States Army Air Corps.
T-13A
Surviving BT-13As were re-designated in 1948, due to dual allocation of T-13 with the PT-13 in practice they were still known as the BT-13 to avoid confusion.

Operators

[edit]
 Argentina
 Bolivia
 Brazil
 Chile
 China
 Colombia
 China[7]
 Cuba
 Dominican Republic
 Ecuador
 Egypt
 El Salvador
 France
 Guatemala
 Haiti
 Honduras
 Indonesia
 Israel
 Mexico[6]
 Nicaragua
 Panama
 Paraguay[6]
 Peru
 Philippines[7]
 Soviet Union
 United States
 Venezuela

Surviving aircraft

[edit]

Australia

Brazil
Canada
Indonesia
Indonesian Air Force BT-13A Valiant at the Dirgantara Mandala Museum
Netherlands
42-43210 (N313BT) at Duxford Aerodrome in England
United States
Vultee BT-13A/SNV-1 Valiant at the Air Zoo
Vultee SNV-2 Valiant at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum
[edit]
Aichi D3A replica at the Geneseo Airshow. In 1968 a Vultee BT-13 Valiant (N56867) was converted to a Val replica for use in the filming of the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!", flown as Val "AI-244" (Carrier Akagi). The BT-13 has been maintained in that configuration ever since, and is now flown at airshows as "BI-211" with markings of Carrier Soryu.

The 1942 Army training film Winning Your Wings opens with actor Jimmy Stewart landing a BT-13.

BTs were used by Twentieth Century Fox in the 1970 motion picture "Tora! Tora! Tora!", converted to look like Aichi D3A Vals. After filming, the studio sold or donated the altered aircraft.[2]: 99 [90][91]

Specifications (BT-13A)

[edit]
3-view line drawing of the Vultee Valiant
3-view line drawing of the Vultee Valiant

Data from United States Military Aircraft since 1909[92]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
  • Wingspan: 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)
  • Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
  • Wing area: 239 sq ft (22.2 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,375 lb (1,531 kg)
  • Gross weight: 4,496 lb (2,039 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 450 hp (340 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Hamilton-Standard 2-position

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 180 mph (290 km/h, 160 kn)
  • Range: 725 mi (1,167 km, 630 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 21,650 ft (6,600 m)
  • Time to altitude: 9.2 minutes to 10,000 ft (3,000 m)

See also

[edit]

Related development:

Comparable aircraft:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Davisson, Budd: "Vultee's BT-13 Pilot Maker: Good vibrations from the Vultee Vibrator" (aircraft review and pilot report), August 1972, Air Progress, retrieved 11 January 2023 from Airbum.com
  2. ^ a b c d e f Thompson, Jonathan. Vultee Aircraft 1932-1947. Santa Ana: Narkiewicz//Thompson. pp. 66–99. ISBN 0913322024.
  3. ^ Wegg 1990, p. 158.
  4. ^ Herman, Arthur (2012), Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, New York, NY: Random House, pp. 203, 262–3, ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4
  5. ^ Borth, Christy (1945), Masters of Mass Production, Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill Co., pp. 251–252
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Wegg 1990, p. 139.
  7. ^ a b c d Wegg 1990, p. 160.
  8. ^ Wegg 1990, pp. 159–160.
  9. ^ "Aircraft Register [VH-JKV]". Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-23063 USAAF, c/n 7710, c/r VH-JKV". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  11. ^ "VULTEE BT-15 – VALIANT | CONSOLIDATED VULTEE AIRCRAFT". Museu Aeroespacial. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee Valiant, s/n 1072 FABr, c/n 74A-3240, c/r PP-GRH". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 42-1216 USAAF, c/r N56665". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 42-89379 USAAF, c/r N79VV". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  15. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N79VV]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Vultee BT-13 Valiant - Indonesia - Air Force — Aviation Photo #1305779". airliners.net. 15 December 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Lanud Suryadarma, Kalijati, Subang". gspradio.com (in Indonesian). February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Gembira Loka Zoo". gembiralokazoo.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  19. ^ "TSTJ SOLO : Pesawat Latih Diharapkan Pikat Pengunjung Taman Jurug". solopos.com (in Indonesian). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Tak Terurus, Pesawat di Gedung Juang 45 Subang Akan Ditarik". pasundanekspres.co (in Indonesian). 26 October 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Air International 1985-12". aviadejavu.ru. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Monumen Pesawat (World War II Plane Statue)". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Water Boom Bonbin Semarang". seputarsemarang.com (in Indonesian). 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Kebun Binatang — Taman Margasatwa Bonbin Semarang". seputarsemarang.com (in Indonesian). 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Vultee BT-13A Valiant B-633 Indonesian Air Force". aviationmuseum.eu. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Vultee BT-13 Valiant". vroegevogels.org. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Vultee BT-13A/SNV-1 Valiant". Air Zoo. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  28. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee SNV-1 Valiant, s/n 03022 USN, c/n 3183". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  29. ^ "1941 Vultee SNV-1 (BT13-A) Vibrator". Estrella Warbirds Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  30. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, c/r N56319". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  31. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N56319]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  32. ^ "Vultee Aircraft, Inc. BT-13A "Valiant" N93BT (USAAF S/N 41-10418)". Combat Air Museum. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-10571 USAAF, c/n 2888, c/r N57414". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  34. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N68178]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  35. ^ "VALIANT/41-10814". Warbird Registry. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  36. ^ "SNV VALIANT". National Naval Aviation Museum. Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  37. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-11355 USAAF, c/n 74-2365, c/r N60828". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  38. ^ "Vultee BT-13 Valiant". Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  39. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-11538 USAAF, c/r N52411". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  40. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N52411]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  41. ^ "Vultee BT-13A Valiant". Combat Air Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  42. ^ "Welcome to the Houston Wing". Houston Wing Commemorative Air Force. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-21218 USAAF, c/n 5057, c/r N59842". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  44. ^ "BT-13 Valiant". March Field Air Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  45. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee Valiant, s/n 41-21487 USAAF". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  46. ^ "Indoor Exhibits – Basic Trainers". Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center. Travis Heritage Center. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  47. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-21933 USAAF, c/n 5772". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  48. ^ "Vultee BT-13A Valiant". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  49. ^ "EXHIBITS". South Dakota Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-22386 USAAF, c/n 6464". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  51. ^ Rambow, Bill. "Consolidated Vultee BT-13A/SNV-1 "Valiant"". Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  52. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-22441 USAAF, c/r N60277". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  53. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N60277]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  54. ^ "Chico Air Museum Photo Gallery". Chico Air Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  55. ^ Urseny, Laura (2 February 2016). "BT-13 trainer brings WWII era back to Chico airport". Chico Enterprise-Record. Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  56. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 41-23075 USAAF, c/r N59961". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  57. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N59961]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  58. ^ Fischer, William (3 October 2008). "BT-13A Valiant". HMdb.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  59. ^ "LOANED AIRCRAFT BY LOC" (PDF). National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  60. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee Valiant, s/n 42-41303 USAAF". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  61. ^ "VALIANT". Pima Air & Space Museum. Pimaair.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  62. ^ "Restored BT-13 Donated to The National WASP Museum". Warbirds News. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  63. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 42-88675 USAAF, c/n 10514, c/r N60795". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  64. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N60795]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  65. ^ "Airplanes". Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. NASW Aviation Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  66. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13 Valiant, s/n 42-88708 USAAF, c/n 10547, c/r N40018". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  67. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 42-88855 USAAF, c/n 10990, c/r N9743N". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  68. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N9743N]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  69. ^ "Vultee V-79 Valiant (BT-13B)". Yanks Air Museum. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  70. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13B Valiant, s/n 42-89607 USAAF, c/n 79-0326, c/r N4425V". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  71. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N4425V]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  72. ^ "Aircraft on Display". Castle Air Museum. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  73. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13A Valiant, s/n 42-89678 USAAF, c/r N63952". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  74. ^ "BT-13B "Valiant"". Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  75. ^ "BT-13 VALIANT". Commemorative Air Force Alaska Wing. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  76. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Vultee SNV-2 Valiant, s/n 42-90026 USAAF, c/n 79-0999, c/r N63282". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  77. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N63282]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  78. ^ "BT-13 Valiant". War Eagles Air Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  79. ^ "Airframe Dossier – Vultee BT-13B Valiant, s/n 42-90296 USAAF, c/n 79-1293, c/r N63697". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  80. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N63697]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  81. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N60794]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  82. ^ Headquarters United States Air Force Historical Research Center Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112-6678
  83. ^ "Vultee BT-13B Valiant". National Museum of the US Air Force. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  84. ^ "Flying & Static Aircraft". Planes of Fame Air Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  85. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N54822]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  86. ^ Sparkes, Graham F. (18 September 2014). "Vultee Valiant, N57655 / 7832, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum". ABPic. AIR-BRITAIN. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  87. ^ "BT-13 Valiant". Fort Worth Aviation Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  88. ^ "BT-13 wreck at the Planes of Fame Museum AZ". Wreckchasing.com. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  89. ^ "Restoration project: BT-13". Fargo Air Museum. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  90. ^ "Vultee BT-15 (Movie Conversion Aichi D3Y 'Val')". Planes of Fame Air Museum. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  91. ^ "TORA! TORA! TORA! TURNS FIFTY". Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  92. ^ Swanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 461

Bibliography

[edit]
  • "Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation". Air Enthusiast Quarterly (2): 154–162. June 1976. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Andersson, Lennart (2008). A History of Chinese Aviation: Encyclopedia of Aircraft and Aviation in China to 1949. Taipei, Republic of China: AHS of ROC. ISBN 978-957-28533-3-7.
  • Sapienza, Antonio Luis (May 2001). "L'aviation militare paraguayenne durant la seconde guerre mondiale" [Paraguayan Military Aviation During the Second World War]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (98): 30–33. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • Swanborough, F. G.; Bowers, Peter M. (1963). U.S. Military Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam. OCLC 464065470.
  • Wegg, John (1990). General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-833-X.
[edit]