Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita

what is it?

The Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita is a twin-engined trainer aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Beechcraft. Principally flown by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) throughout the World War II in the trainer role; over half of all USAAF pilots undertook transitional training in the AT-10. That AT-1o was developed during the early 1940s in response to a requirement issued by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) for a multi-engined trainer aircraft for pilots intended to operate bombers and transport aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · low wing · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 13.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 319 km/htop speed
• size 2,781 kgmax take-off weight
• built 2,371made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 85 years ago, in 1941.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 13.4 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1941

introduced

1942

number built

2,371

role

military trainer aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Globe Aircraft Corporation, Beechcraft

engines

2× Lycoming R-680-9

length

10.5 m

wingspan

13.4 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

2,781 kg

top speed

319 km/h

cruise speed

270 km/h

range

—

ceiling

5,151 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.