BT-13 Val Replica Tex Hill Wing
Description:
This American basic trainer aircraft was sold as surplus in 1947 and eventually donated to the CAF in 1978. Originally a BT-13A, it was used to help CAF pilots qualify for the Tora Demonstration Team. In 1991, members modified the BT-13 to resemble a Japanese Val dive bomber. Designated Val BI 257/AI 257, the aircraft became a regular feature at airshows, flown by the CAF’s TORA TORA TORA Team in reenactments of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Base:
San Antonio, TX
Website:
| BT-13 Specs | |
|---|---|
| Role | Trainer |
| Manufacturer | Vultee Aircraft |
| Introduced | Jun 1940 |
| Power | 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 450 hp |
| Length | 28 ft 10 in |
| Height | 11 ft 6 in |
| Wingspan | 42 ft 0 in |
| Range | 725 mi |
This American basic trainer aircraft was sold as surplus in 1947 and eventually donated to the CAF in 1978. Originally a BT-13A, it was used to help CAF pilots qualify for the Tora Demonstration Team. In 1991, members modified the BT-13 to resemble a Japanese Val dive bomber. Designated Val BI 257/AI 257, the aircraft became a regular feature at airshows, flown by the CAF’s TORA TORA TORA Team in reenactments of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
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.
