BT-13 Mike Hunt Alaska Wing

The BT-13 was one of several simplified versions of the more complex Vultee BT-54 Basic Trainer. It was a fixed-gear, low-wing tail-dragger with a crew of two sitting in tandem. When production ended in 1944, approximately 11,537 Valiants had been built. The BT-13 was the most widely used trainer aircraft in WWII. It was flown by most American pilots in transitioning from Primary trainers like the PT-19 to more advanced trainers like the AT-6. It was more complex than the Primary trainer and required the use of two-way radio, landing flaps and a two-position, controllable-pitch prop. The BT-13 was nick-named the “Vultee Vibrator” by its pilots for its most remarkable characteristic- a tendency to shake violently as it approached stall speed.

The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American basic trainer aircraft from the World War II era, produced by Vultee Aircraft for the U.S. Army Air Corps and later the U.S. Army Air Forces. A later variant of the BT-13 used by the USAAC/USAAF was designated the BT-15 Valiant. In contrast, an identical model used by the U.S. Navy was referred to as the SNV and was utilized to train naval aviators for the U.S. Navy and its sister services, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard.