Vultee BT-13 Valiant - Castle Air Museum

BT-13 Valiant Trainer Aircraft

The all-metal Vultee BT-13 Valiant first flew in late 1939, and became the most numerous American basic trainer of World War II with over 11,000 being built by 1944 when production was ended. It was used for the second stage of pilot training (basic training). The USAAF designation BT stood for Basic Trainer.

Because of the rattling sound the canopy made during aerobatics, it was nicknamed the "Vibrator" – although its actual aerobatic performance seemed to have been appreciated according to a chapter by Wayne S. Cole in Flying American Combat Aircraft of WWII (p82). "The BT-13 was a great acrobatic aircraft. We normally did loops, slow rolls, snap rolls, Immelmans, and other exciting exercises." The canopy could be adjusted, allowing the sections to be fully opened or partially closed for a feel of the "open  air" if desired.

At the beginning of World War II, student pilots spent three months in primary, three months in basic, and three month in advanced training. According to the National Museum of the Air Force, "each pilot had 65 flying hours of primary training and 75 hours of both basic and advanced training. During the war, each phase was reduced first to 10 weeks and then to nine weeks." Training was received in instruments, night flying, cross country, and formation flying.

The Vultee BT-13 at Castle Air Museum wears the colors of aircraft stationed at Merced Army Air Field in 1942, where thousands of cadets took basic flight training in BT-13s. The name of the air field was later changed to Castle Air Force Base. The base was closed in the early 1990s, and Castle Air Museum is currently located adjacent to the former base.

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