Cessna T50 Bamboo Bomber/AT-17 Bobcat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_AT-17_Bobcat

The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat is a twin-engined advanced trainer aircraft designed and
made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap
between single-engined trainers and twin-engined combat aircraft. The AT-17 was
powered by two Jacobs R-755-9 radial engines. The commercial version was the
Model T-50, from which the AT-17 was developed.

The AT-17 was a military version of the commercial Cessna T-50 light transport.
The Cessna Airplane Company first produced the wood and tubular steel,
fabric-covered T-50 in 1939 for the civilian market, as a lightweight and
low-cost twin for personal use where larger aircraft such as the Beech 18 would
be too expensive. A low-wing cantilever monoplane, it featured retractable main
landing gear and wing trailing edge flaps, both electrically actuated. The wing
structure was built up of laminated spruce spar beams with spruce and plywood
ribs. The fixed tailwheel is not steerable and full-swivelling. The prototype
T-50 made its maiden flight on 26 March 1939.

In 1940, the United States Army Air Corps ordered them under the designation
AT-8 as twin-engined advanced trainers.


Role
five-seat light transport

Manufacturer
Cessna Aircraft Company

First flight
March 26, 1939 (T-50)

Primary users
United States Army Air Forces
Royal Canadian Air Force
United States Navy

Produced
1939-1944

Number built
5,422

Thirty-three AT-8s were built for the U.S. Army Air Corps, and production
continued under the designation AT-17 reflecting a change in equipment and
engine types. In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Force (the successor to the Air Corps
from June 1941) adopted the Bobcat as a light personnel transport and those
delivered after January 1, 1943 were designated UC-78s. By the end of World War
II, Cessna had produced more than 4,600 Bobcats for the U.S. military, 67 of
which were transferred to the United States Navy as JRC-1s. In addition, 822
Bobcats had been produced for the Royal Canadian Air Force as Crane Is, many of
which were used in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The aircraft did
not last long in North American postwar military service. Few (if any) Bobcats
were in service with the United States Air Force when it was formed in
September, 1947. Surviving military aircraft were declared obsolete in 1949.

Dubbed the "Bamboo Bomber" by the pilots who flew them, it was one of the
aircraft featured in the popular television series "Sky King" of the
early-to-mid 1950s. The aircraft was replaced in later episodes by the T-50's
successor, the all-metal Cessna 310.

After the war, surplus AT-17s and UC-78s could be converted by CAA-approved kits
to civilian-standard aircraft allowing their certification under the T-50s
original Type Certificate (ATC- 722, issued 3-24-1940). They were used by small
airlines, charter and "bush" operators and private pilots. Some were operated on
floats. By the 1970s, the number of airworthy aircraft had dwindled as they were
made obsolete by more modern types and by the maintenance required by their
aging wood wing structures and fabric covering. Since then, several have been
restored by antique airplane enthusiasts.

As of December 2017, FAA records show 52 T-50s, two AT-17s, and five UC-78s
listed on its registration database.

In the postwar years, Bobcats continued in military service with Brazil and the
Nationalist Chinese.

Specifications (AT-17)

General characteristics
Crew: pilot+four
Length: 32 ft 9 in (9.98 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 11 in (12.78 m)
Height: 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m)
Wing area: 295 sq ft (27.4 m2)
Empty weight: 3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
Gross weight: 5,700 lb (2,585 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 6,062 lb (2,750 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Jacobs R-755-9 seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial piston engine,
245 hp (183 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 169 kn (195 mph, 314 km/h)
Cruise speed: 152 kn (175 mph, 282 km/h)
Range: 650 nmi (750 mi, 1,210 km)
Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,700 m)



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