So the Feds said no to the use of military aircraft for flyovers this year. That didn’t deter the LaPorte Jaycees.
Just two days before the parade, the Jaycees’ Joy Zigler announced Tuesday morning that a vintage beauty will launch Thursday’s parade fun — a privately owned 1942 Vultee Valiant BT-13A. There are only a handful of these beauties still flying in the U.S. today.
But don’t think this World War II worker doesn’t scoot — it reaches 180 mph.
This particular Vultee is even locally owned, by Stuart and Linda Glenn. And it’s serviced by LaPorte Aviation’s John Landwerlen.
The use of a vintage plane for the flyover is also perfect in keeping with the parade’s theme this year: “Blast from the Past: Honoring History in LaPorte.”
Here’s a little information on the plane provided by the Glenns and Landwerlen and sent along by Zigler:
Manufactured By Vultee Aircraft of Downey, CA, this particular Vultee’s original purchase price during the war was $18,052.It was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on July 22, 1942, and served as a basic trainer at Marana Air Base, Marana, AZ. It was deemed surplus in November 1944 and sold to the civilian market in 1946 for $250!
General information about the Vultee BT-13: It was originally designed to compete with North American Aviation for the role of an Advanced Trainer aircraft for the U.S. Army Air Corps and even though it competed well, Vultee lost the contract to a very formidable competitor, the now coveted North American AT6. Shortly after losing the contract to North American, and shortly before the United States’ entrance into World War II, Vultee was approached by the government to compete for an affordable intermediate (basic trainer) for airmen to make the transition from Primary Trainer to Advanced Trainer a little less daunting and to help airmen build more time and experience before entering combat. Vultee engineers went back to work on their earlier design, cutting costs and maintenance items by removing the Pratt and Whitney R1340 600hp radial engine and substituting the smaller Pratt and Whitney R985-AN1 450hp Wasp Junior Engine. They also replaced the retractable landing gear with simple, rugged and easy-to-maintain fixed landing gear. Flaps were controlled by a hand crank so no hydraulic system was needed.
The new configuration became known as the Vultee BT-13 Valiant. It was one of the highest produced training aircraft in all of the war with approximately 11,525 BT13’s and their variants being produced. Airmen started their training in Primary Trainers or (PT) aircraft like the PT17 Stearman Biplane, where they learned primary flying skills and aerodynamics; there were no electrical systems on the primary trainer, and no radios. The BT-13 was the first aircraft in which airmen would use radio communication, learn to navigate between points and start instrument training. Once finished with the BT-13 in basic training, airmen went on to fly either the single-engine North American AT6 with more horsepower and retractable gear as a direct route to fighter aircraft, or they would transition into multi-engine AT9 and AT10 aircraft, eventually flying Bombers, Cargo and Transport planes.
The BT-13 was given the nick name “Vultee Vibrator” by pilots, for the noises and vibrations created during high-power take offs and aerobatic maneuvers.
Toward the end of World War II, the BT-13’s were starting to be phased out of pilot training and moved to government surplus. They were then lined up full of fuel and oil to be sold off. The average price for a used BT-13 was around $200-$250. Some were sold to foreign governments, but most of these aircraft were purchased by farmers. They removed the Pratt and Whitney R985- AN1 for use mostly on Stearman Aircraft that presented a better platform to carry chemicals for spraying the fields but needed the extra power for the aggressive workloads of a crop duster.
Once the engine, oil and fuel were gone, The BT13’s were either scrapped or left behind rotting in fields. Some were put on display or used for marketing. Of approximately 11,525 produced, there are only an estimated 25 BT-13’s still flying in the United States today.
The two-man Vultee has a length of 28 feet, 10 inches, and a wingspan of 42 feet. It can reach an altitude of 10,000 feet in 9.2 minutes.
When the Vultee flies over your spot on the parade route Thursday, just imagine the stories this aircraft could tell!