Curtiss AT-9

Curtiss AT-9

Infobox Aircraft
name=AT-9 Jeep


caption=AT-9A
type=Advanced twin-engined trainer
manufacturer=Curtiss-Wright Corporation
designer=
first flight=1941
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=United States Army Air Force
more users=United States Air Force
produced=1941–1943
number built=1,092 (including prototype and AT-9A variant)
variants with their own articles=

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep was a twin-engined advanced trainer aircraft used by the United States during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and twin-engine combat aircraft. The AT-9 was of a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration, had retractable landing gear and was powered by two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines.

Development

Curtiss-Wright anticipated the requirement for this type of "high-performance" aircraft and designed the Curtiss-Wright CW-25, a twin-engine trainer, which possessed the takeoff and landing characteristics of a light bomber aircraft. Mondey 2006, p.70.]

Operational history

The first prototype Model 25 flew in 1941 and the production version entered service as the AT-9 in 1942. Named the "Fledgling" by Curtiss-Wright, it commonly became known as the "Jeep" in the United States Army Air Force (USAAC). [Shanaberger, Kenneth W. [http://www.shanaberger.com/AT-9.htm "Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Fledgling/Jeep."] KensAviation.com, 2008.] The prototype CW-25 had a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and fabric-covered wings and tail units, but production AT-9s were of stressed metal skin construction.

The AT-9 was not easy to fly or land, which made 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 B-26 Marauder and P-38 Lightning. However, many pilots who have flown both the AT-9 and the P-38 have said that the Lightning should have been used to train people to fly the Jeep!

A total of 491 AT-9s were built before production ended and a new production run of 300 of the generally similar AT-9A commenced.

Because of its difficult flying characteristics the AT-9 was not offered for sale to civilians after the war, although many non-flying examples were given to ground schools for training purposes.

Comedian George Gobel flew the AT-9 as a flight instructor at Altus, Oklahoma, during World War II.

urvivors

Two AT-9s survive today with one AT-9A on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft required extensive restoration, and was the product of the museum staff incorporating two incomplete airframes together, along with parts fabricated on site. While the wreckage of an AT-9A recovered from a crash site in 2003 was turned over to the Pima Air & Space Museum for restoration, the aircraft is incomplete and will require a long and extensive restoration for display.

Variants

;CW-25:Prototype with fabric covered fuselage and tail surfaces;AT-9:Production aircraft with stressed-skin covering and two Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines, 491 built.;AT-9A:AT-9 with Lycoming R-680-11 radial engines and revised hydraulic system, 300 built before production ended in February 1943.

Operators

;USA
*United States Army Air Force
*United States Air Force

pecifications (AT-9)

General characteristics

* Crew: two - student and instructor
* Length: 31 ft 8 in (9.65 m)
* Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in (12.29 m)
* Height: 9 ft 10 in (2.99 m)
* Wing area: 233 ft² (21.7 m²)
* Empty: 4,600 lb (2,087 kg)
* Loaded: 6,000 lb (2,722 kg)
* Maximum takeoff: 6,062 lb (2,755 kg)
* Powerplant: 2x Lycoming R-680-9, 295 hp (220 kW) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 197 mph (317 km/h)
* Cruise speed: 175 mph (282 km/h)
* Range: 750 miles (1207 km)
* Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,793 m)
* Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
* Wing loading: 26 lb/ft² (125 kg/m²)
* Power/Mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.16 kW/kg)

Related content

Related development:

Comparable aircraft:Beech C-45 Expeditor

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bowers, Peter M. "Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947". London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
* Mondey, David. "American Aircraft of World War II" (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4.

External links

* [http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf15.htm National Museum of the United States Air Force Home Page]


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