- 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 advancedtrainer aircraft used by the United States duringWorld 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 andP-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 inDayton, 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 thePima 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: 2xLycoming R-680 -9, 295 hp (220 kW) eachPerformance
* 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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