Cessna AT-17 Bobcat

what is it?

The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat or Cessna Crane is a twin-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed and produced by the American aviation firm Cessna Aircraft Company. First flown in March 1939 and type certified in March 1940, the Model T-50, the commercial version of the aircraft, entered service that same year. Militarised models followed, particularly in the aftermath of the US's entry into World War II, which was operated by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) amongst others during to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and larger multi-engine combat aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 12.8 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 314 km/htop speed
• size 2,750 kgmax take-off weight
• built 5,422made 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 87 years ago, in 1939.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.8 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

1939-03-26

introduced

1939

status

retired

number built

5,422

role

trainer, five-seat light transport and utility aircraft

makers

Cessna

engines

2× Jacobs R-755-9

length

10 m

wingspan

12.8 m

height

3 m

max take-off weight

2,750 kg

top speed

314 km/h

cruise speed

282 km/h

range

—

ceiling

6,706 m

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