Cessna AT-17

Les Cessna AT-17 et dérivés vus sur Wikipedia.en

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The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] AT-17 Bobcat was a twin-engined advanced [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] designed and made in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and used during [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and twin-engine combat aircraft.

The AT-17 was powered by two [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-9 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The commercial version was the Model T-50, from which the AT-17 was developed.

Design and development


The AT-17 was a military version of the commercial Cessna T-50 light transport.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 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 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] would be too expensive.

A low-wing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], it featured [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and wing trailing-edge [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], both electrically actuated.

The wing structure was built up of laminated spruce spar beams with spruce and plywood ribs.

The fixed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is non-steerable and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The prototype T-50 made its maiden flight on 26 March 1939.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
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In 1940, the US Army Air Corps ordered them under the designation AT-8 as multi-engine advanced trainers.

Operational history

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 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as JRC-1s.

In addition, 822 Bobcats had been produced for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as Crane 1s, many of which were used in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

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The aircraft did not last long in North American post-war 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 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] series "[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]" of early to mid-50s.

The aircraft was replaced in later episodes by the T-50s successor, the all-metal [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Post 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.

In August 2009, FAA records show 378 T-50s, 10 AT-17s and 30 UC-78s are listed on the FAA registration database.

^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} However, just because aircraft are registered with the FAA does not mean they are airworthy or even existent.
In the post-war years, Bobcats continued in military service with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Variants

T-50


Company design number. Five-seat twin-engined commercial transport aircraft, fitted with Jacobs L-4 MB radial piston engines.

AT-8


Military trainer version of the T-50 with two 295 hp (220-kW) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] radial piston engines, 33 built.

AT-17


As the AT-8 but powered by 245 hp (183 kW) Jacobs R-775-9 engines, 450 built some later converted to AT-17E.

AT-17A


As the AT-17 but with metal [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and reduced weight, 223 built. 182 to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as Crane IAs and later conversion to AT-17Fs.