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Vultee BT-13A/SNV-1 Valiant

On loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps

Design/Development

The Valiant was considerably more complex than the primary trainers that were in use at the time. All metal construction, except for the control surfaces (fabric), made it to the first heavy aircraft that the cadets were introduced to.

Handling Capabilities

The Valiant is a stable, predictable trainer, and it was the most used basic trainer of World War II. It was easy to land if trimmed properly, though it was inadvisable to apply excessive bottom rudder while applying back stick pressure in the final-this was tantamount to instant death.

It had a reputation for spinning, but if the pilot was trained properly, it was no problem. You could easily put it into and spin and recover it without difficulty with full opposite rudder.