Experience Warbirds in flight this summer! From May through September, join the Military Aviation Museum every Saturday at 1 PM for narrated flying demonstrations showcasing historical aircraft and commemorating significant wartime events. Experience the rumble of the engines up close as pilots share what it’s like to fly these incredible machines. Learn about the battles they fought in and the men and women who built, flew, and maintained them during the war! Summer of Flight is included with general admission to the museum and free for members. Events begin at 1:00 PM unless stated otherwise.

The Museum’s newest addition to the collection id the Vultee BT-13 Valiant!

So what exactly is a BT-13?

It is a question more common than you might think – even among those who are familiar with the aircraft of World War II. It certainly did not reach the iconic post-war status of the AT-6 Texan Advanced Trainer or of the Stearman PT’s and Fairchild PT’s that made up the Primary Training Capability of the Army Air Forces, but that does not mean that the BT-13 was any less critical. The aircraft, with the designation Basic Trainer (or BT) filled a vital gap in the pipeline that was used to train pilots during World War II.

Primary, Basic and Advanced training were phases designed to allow cadets to ramp up their skillset in a compressed period of time. The exact length of training varied, according to the US Army Air Forces, on the basis of National Danger. Ten weeks for each phase was typical, however immediately following Pearl Harbor, several classes were trained with just 7 weeks available for each phase. While the timing of the overall course would change, every effort was made to avoid compromising flight instruction hours – with “the military element” being sometimes subordinated to the need to learn to fly.