Cessna AT-17 Bobcat: Американский учебно-тренировочный самолет времен Второй мировой войны

American WWII twin engine advanced trainer aircraft

The Cessna AT 17 Bobcat or Cessna Crane is a twin engine advanced trainer aircraft designed and made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap between single engine trainers and larger multi engine combat aircraft. The commercial version was the Model T 50, from which the military versions were developed.

In 1939, three years after Clyde Cessna retired, the Cessna T 50 made its first flight, becoming the company's first twin engine airplane, and its first retractable undercarriage airplane. The prototype T 50 first flew on 26 March 1939, and was issued Approved Type Certificate 722 on 24 March 1940. The AT 8, AT 17, C 78, UC 78 and Crane were military versions 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 lower cost twin for personal use where larger aircraft such as the Beechcraft Model 18 would be too expensive. A low wing cantilever monoplane, it featured retractable main landing gear and trailing edge wing flaps, both electrically actuated via chain driven screws. The retracted main landing gear left some of the wheels extended below the engine nacelle for emergency wheel up landings. The wing structure was built around laminated spruce spar beams, truss style spruce and plywood ribs, and plywood wing leading edges and wing tips. The fixed tailwheel is not steerable, but can be locked straight. The Curtiss Reed metal fixed pitch propellers were soon replaced with Hamilton Standard 2B 20 213 hydraulically actuated, constant speed, non featherable propellers. Power was provided by two Jacobs L 4MB engines rated at for takeoff. Production began in December 1939.

On 19 July 1940, United States Assistant Secretary of War Louis A. Johnson ordered 33 AT 8 trainers, based on the T 50 for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Modifications included cockpit roof windows, more powerful Lycoming R 680 engines and military radios. The first AT 8 was delivered to the USAAC in December 1940, and in late 1941, the US Army ordered an additional 450 AT 17s, based on the T 50. Modifications included additional cockpit windows and Jacobs R 755 9 engines.

In September 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force ordered 180 Crane Mk. I trainers, Cessna's largest order to date. Modifications for the RCAF included Hartzell fixed pitch wooden propellers, removable cylinder head baffles, and oil heaters. The first Crane Mk. I was delivered to the RCAF in November 1940, and Cessna then received an additional order from the RCAF for 460 more Crane Mk. Is. An additional 182 AT 17A were received by the RCAF through lend lease, operated under the designation Crane Mk. IA, bringing the total produced for the RCAF to 822, which were operated under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).

In addition to military orders, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA, precursor to the FAA) ordered 13 T 50s, and Pan American Airways ordered 14 T 50s. Aircraft operated by the US military and by the RCAF were retired shortly after the end of the war and many were exported worldwide including to Brazil and the Nationalist Chinese. After the war, surplus AT 17s and UC 78s could be converted with CAA approved kits to civilian standard aircraft allowing their certification under the original T 50 approved type certificate.

It was featured in the popular television series Sky King of the early to mid 1950s.

JRC 1 Navy light transport version of the UC 78 with two Jacobs 9 engines, 67 delivered.

Crane Mk. I 640 T 50s with minor equipment changes. Crane Mk. IA 182 AT 17As delivered to RCAF under lend lease.