The story
Cadets met the Valiant in the middle of their training, after primary trainers and before advanced ones. Vultee got there by simplifying its BC-3, trading retractable gear for fixed and fitting a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney radial. Vultee built more than 9,500 Valiants, including 1,693 Wright-engined BT-15s when Pratt & Whitney could not supply enough engines. Students nicknamed it the Vultee Vibrator for its resonances in some flight modes. After the war most surplus Valiants sold for $450, about a dollar per horsepower, mainly to crop dusters who wanted the engine.
For the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, Twentieth Century Fox rebuilt BT-13s and BT-15s to look like Japanese Aichi D3A Val dive bombers. One of them still flies at airshows as a Val.
Quick answers
How do you identify a BT-13 Valiant?
Bigger than the primary trainers, with a fat round radial cowling and a long greenhouse canopy over two tandem seats. The main gear is fixed and never folds away, the quick tell against the retractable-gear T-6 Texan. Look for the radio mast and wire running back from the canopy to the tail. Some airshow 'Japanese Val' dive bombers are converted BT-13s.
What does a BT-13 Valiant sound like?
The deep rumble of a nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior radial.
How fast is the BT-13 Valiant?
Top speed is 156 kts (180 mph) (BT-13A).
How many passengers does the BT-13 Valiant carry?
Up to 0. A typical layout is Student and instructor in tandem under a long canopy.
How far can the BT-13 Valiant fly?
Range is about 630 nmi (BT-13A).
How big is the BT-13 Valiant?
It is 28 ft 10 in long and 42 ft 0 in across the wings.
When did the BT-13 Valiant first fly?
Its first flight was in 1939.
How many BT-13 Valiants have been built?
9,500+ (BT-13, BT-15 and SNV) built.
How rare is a BT-13 Valiant in Bogey?
UNCOMMON. Not rare, but not every day either. Worth looking up for. Your first BT-13 Valiant catch is worth 50 points.
