CAF Centex - BT-13 Valiant, the training aircraft that helped The US win World War II.

CAF Centex - BT-13 Valiants become famous as the most widely-used training aircraft of World War Two.
 They train tens of thousands of pilots and help the Allies win the war.

The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic 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.

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 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."

Our BT-13 is slowly coming together again after being totally taken apart. Soon it will be in flying condition again.

Cockpit of the BT-13 Valiant

Great Video of  BT-13.

Video of the BT-13 Valiant owned by the West Houston Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose purpose relates to the preservation, demonstration, and display of military aircraft through the ages.

Our BT-13 becomes is a movie star.

One notable post-war "variant" of the BT's are the "Tora" aircraft. In 1968 Twentieth Century Fox purchased nine BT-13/15 and modified them for use in the motion picture "Tora! Tora! Tora!". The "Val" dive bombers seen in this film are actually BT-13 and BT-15. The "Zero" fighters and "Kate" torpedo bombers are mostly AT-6 Texans/SNJ known internationally as the Harvard IV's. After the film, these aircraft were sold to private owners. Many are still flying, several of them as part of the Commemorative Air Force's "Tora! Tora! Tora!" squadron, which performs air battle reenactments at air shows. Several "Tora" aircraft also appeared in the later "Pearl Harbor" film.

BT-13 Technical Data.

When production ceased in 1944, 11,537 Valiants had been produced. The Valiant was retired at the end of the war, but over 100 of these aircraft are still registered in the United States today, although it is believed that less than half are actively airworthy.

Nicknames: The Vultee Vibrator, The Bee Tee

Specifications (BT-13A):

        Engine: One 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 Wasp Junior radial piston engine

        Weight: Empty 3,375 lbs., Max Takeoff 4,496 lbs.

        Wing Span: 42ft. 0in.

        Length: 28ft. 10in.

        Height: 11ft. 6in.

        Performance:

            Maximum Speed: 180 mph

            Ceiling: 21,650 ft.

            Range: 725 miles

        Armament: None

Number Built: 11,537

Number Still Airworthy: ~50

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