Beechcraft AT-11 “Kansan”

Beechcraft AT-11 “Kansan”. USAFM 1991-41. The AT-11 was the standard bombing trainer in World War II, responsible for training more than 90% of the more than 45,000 Army Air Force (AAF) bombardiers. The Kansan was one of several military versions of the Beechcraft Model 18 Commercial Transport and was uniquely configured for bombardier training. Modifications included a transparent nose, a bomb bay with internal bomb racks, and an upper turret for training in aerial gunnery., In 1943, the AAF established a minimum proficiency standard of a 22 percent hit rate on targets. To achieve this, student bombardiers normally dropped 100lb sand-filled practice bombs. Flying a “bomb run” involved continuous evasive action within a ten mile radius of the target followed by straight and level flight for the last 60 seconds prior to release for aiming. After September 1943, these missions were usually flown with the Norden Bomb sight and the C-1 automatic pilot, allowing the student bombardier to control the aircraft during the final critical phase prior to release., This AT-11 is one of the 1,582 ordered by the AAF between 1941 and 1945. Its markings represent the AT-11s used at Barksdale Field from 1945 through 1949. Barksdale was the second home of the Army Air Corps Bombardier School from 1940 to 1942. Among the alumni who earned their bombardier wings at Barksdale is Major Kermit K. Beahan - the bombardier who dropped the last atomic weapon of World War II., Specifications , Span: 47' 7 3/4" . Length: 34' 1 7/8" . Height: 9' 7 3/4" . Weight: 9,300 lbs maximum . Crew: 3 to 4 . Armament: two .30-cal. machine guns as a gunnery trainer . Cost: $67,000, Performance , Max speed: 215 mph . Cruising: 150 mph . Range: 745 miles . Service ceiling: 20,000 ft . Engine: 2 Pratt and Whitney R-985s