_(5498338810).jpg)
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. North American NJ-1 in flight 1938: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 2. Chanute Field - BT-9 Yale Final Check Up: United States Army Air Forces· Public domain
- 3. North American BT-9 Night Flight Training, January 1940: SDASM Archives· No restrictions
- 4. North American BT-9A at Grand Central Air Terminal: SDASM Archives· No restrictions
- 5. North American BT-9C (AC 38-232) (5498338810): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 6. Perrin Field - North American BT-9 Training: United States Air Force Photograph· Public domain
- 7. Randolph Field - 1938 - Flying Cadet with Instructor using inner phone of North American BT-9: United States Army Air Corps· Public domain
- 8. Randolph Field - 1938 - Flying Cadets with Instructor in front of North American BT-9: United States Army Air Corps· Public domain
- 9. Randolph Field - North American BT-9 Trainers: United States Army Air Forces· Public domain
- 10. Randolph Field - North American BT-9s for Night Flying Training: United States Army Air Forces· Public domain
what is it?
The North American BT-9 was the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) designation for a low-wing single engine monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served before and during World War II. It was a contemporary of the Boeing-Stearman PT-13 Kaydet biplane trainer which pilots learned to fly on before advancing to Basic Flying Training on the BT-9. If they passed, they would continue on to the North American BC-1 and later the AT-6 and other aircraft types specific for each role. During the war, it was discovered that increasing the number of hours of Primary Flying Training eliminated the need for intermediate trainers like the BT-9 and so production never reached the levels for the PT and AT types.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.8 m wingspan
base stats
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 90 years ago, in 1936.
- Top speed is 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 12.8 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Range of 1,411 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1936-04
- number built
- 260
- role
- trainer
- makers
- North American Aviation
- engines
- 1× Wright R-975-53 / R-975 Whirlwind
- length
- 8.5 m
- wingspan
- 12.8 m
- height
- 4.1 m
- max take-off weight
- 2,030 kg
- top speed
- 273 km/h
- cruise speed
- 235 km/h
- range
- 1,411 km
- ceiling
- 6,020 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7053721, Wikipedia: North American BT-9 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.