Beech AT-10 Wichita

Beech AT-10 Wichita History

The Beech Aircraft AT-10 "Wichita" was designed by the company as a purpose-built, low-cost, twin-engine military trainer for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) (later to become the United States Army Air Corps - USAAF - 1942 March). To facilitate mass production (and prevent possible wartime shortages of precious aluminum), plywood was used for the entire fuselage structure, adding metal only in key areas such as the engine and cockpit. Wichita was originally a "Type 25" company, designed from 1940 to 1941 and commissioned in 1942.

The AT-10 was named after the city of Wichita, Kansas, where the Beechcraft factory was located, and 2,371 prototypes followed, built by Beechcraft (1,771) and Globe Aircraft Corporation (600).

On May 5, 1941, the original prototype was lost in an accident during USAAC testing, Beechcraft quickly turned around and built a second form, the "Type 26". After the necessary evaluation, testing, and certification, the aircraft was accepted as an AT-10 and placed in the USAAC inventory in February 1942.

By the end of the year, nearly 750 were available.

Wichita's dimensions include a length of 34.3 feet, a wingspan of 44 feet, and a height of 10.3 feet. Empty weight is 4,750 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of nearly 6,130 pounds. Wichita is powered by two Lycoming R-680-9 series air-cooled engines rated at 295 hp.

This accelerates the plane to 198 mph for a range of 770 miles and a service ceiling of up to 16,900 feet.

The AT-10 has proven essential for training pilots of larger aircraft, serving as a springboard for combat bombers and transport aircraft of equal or larger size. The series is produced thanks to its simplicity - mainly the wood method allows Beechcraft to outsource manufacturing to woodworking/furniture factories to meet demand. Even the most important fuel reservoirs are made of wood and lined with synthetic rubber.

The aircraft was in steady production until 1944, when the last example appeared on the Globe Aircraft production line (the company evolved into Temco in the postwar period).

The AT-10 operated until the end of the war, which arrived in 1945.

Specification

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Performance

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