Model Designation
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, 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
variable 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 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, with over 9500 built in
all variants.
History
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 victor. 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 aircraft
made its maiden flight sometime
during March 1939 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 included 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.
The BT-13 served its intended
purpose well. It and its successors
were unforgiving aircraft to fly,
but were also extremely agile. Thus
the BT-13 made a good aircraft to
help transition many hundreds of
pilots toward their advance trainers
and fighters yet to be mastered. The
BT-13 was not without its faults.
The tail was held on with only three
bolts and after several in-flight
failures, the Navy restricted the
aircraft from aerobatic and violent
maneuvers. The Navy declared the SNV
obsolete in May 1945 and replaced it
in the basic training role with the
SNJ (AT-6). The Army also replaced
the BT-13 with the AT-6 before the
end of the war.
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