Building America's forgotten trainer

Air Classics, Sep 2001 by O'Leary, Michael

Final touches being applied to the Valiant's very rugged motor mount. With the war going on, some consideration was given to replacing certain aluminum components with molded wood and this was done on some aircraft which had fuselage side panels and monocoque rear fuselages built of the material. Once it became apparent that supplies of aluminum were adequate, production reverted to aluminum components.

Mating the outer wing panels to a Valiant center section. Once joined, the gap was covered with a fairing. Even the Coast Guard got in on the act and acquired two SNV-1s.

P&W R-985 is prepared for mating to a Quick Engine Change (QEC) module prior to being installed on a fuselage. With demands so heavy upon P&W, the company could not keep up deliveries of the R-985 so 1263 aircraft were ordered with Wright R-975-11 radials of 450-hp as BT-15s.

Basic rib forms are picked out by a woman war worker for completion. By 1942, the Downey plant was churning out 250 Valiants per month.

These ladies had the extremely umpleasant task of sealing the BT-13's center section. The virtual lack of any form of environment control is noteworthy.

Besides Peru, the Valiant was also ordered and supplied under lend--lease agreements

to Bolivia, Brazil (120 BT-15s), Chile (40), Colombia (I4), Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala (5), Honduras (12), Mexico (18BT-13s, 19 BT 15s), Nicaragua (1), Paraguay, and Venezuela (23). This complete BT-13 is being admired by workers and visitors during an open house at the factory.

As the production orders grew so did the engineering department as can be seen in this 1942 photograph. Well before the age of computer design, each part had to be carefully handdrawn and committed to blue prints. Delegation from the Brazilian military accepts their order of Valiants at Downey. Rather amazingly, survivors from this order operated until 1959 when they were withdrawn from service.

Ferry pilot Barbara Erickson prepares to deliver the I 0,000th Valiant to the military. Vultee would build a stunning 11,538 Valiants before the end of the war. Military fields were so saturated with training aircraft that some Valiants were withdrawn from service and put up for sale before the end of the war. Surplus sales of Valiants were brisk and hundreds upon hundreds of airframes were acquired by newly emerging aerial application businesses which used the BTs' engines and other parts for their Stearman dusters and sprayers. AC