Photo: Platinum Fighters
Over the past few months we featured under our spotlight some of the aircraft that made military history over the years. We uncovered them waiting for new owners, or in the process of being restored, reminders of our tumultuous past, with stories just waiting to be told.
But before airplanes could take to the skies and perform military miracles, their pilots had to be taught how to fly them. And this is where trainers come into the picture, them too incredible pieces of airborne engineering.
One of the longest-running families of trainers is the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, introduced shortly after the end of the Second World War, in 1948. It was kept in production until the 1990s, during which time over 2,300 of them were built.
Designed as a single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft, it can seat two people and fly them at speeds of up to 246 mph (396 kph) and for a range of 815 miles (1,311 km).
As with any aircraft ever made, the T-34 too was made in several variants. The one we have here is called T-34C Turbo-Mentor, a breed that was introduced in 1973, after a decade and a half of production halt for the T-34 Mentor model. It is named so because of the turboprop engine that powers it - a Pratt & Whitney unit that spins a 3-bladed propeller.
This particular airplane shows over 11,300 hours of total time since new, and it is currently available for purchase on Platinum Fighters. It is equipped with the stock powerplant, and we're told it is still perfectly equipped to supported inverted flight.
The plane is not exactly in the same condition it was when it left the assembly lines in 1978, having been fitted with new hardware here and there, including wing bolts, canopies, seat cushions, tires and brakes.
The asking price for the airplane is $850,000, but we’re told trades are accepted.
One of the longest-running families of trainers is the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, introduced shortly after the end of the Second World War, in 1948. It was kept in production until the 1990s, during which time over 2,300 of them were built.
Designed as a single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft, it can seat two people and fly them at speeds of up to 246 mph (396 kph) and for a range of 815 miles (1,311 km).
As with any aircraft ever made, the T-34 too was made in several variants. The one we have here is called T-34C Turbo-Mentor, a breed that was introduced in 1973, after a decade and a half of production halt for the T-34 Mentor model. It is named so because of the turboprop engine that powers it - a Pratt & Whitney unit that spins a 3-bladed propeller.
This particular airplane shows over 11,300 hours of total time since new, and it is currently available for purchase on Platinum Fighters. It is equipped with the stock powerplant, and we're told it is still perfectly equipped to supported inverted flight.
The plane is not exactly in the same condition it was when it left the assembly lines in 1978, having been fitted with new hardware here and there, including wing bolts, canopies, seat cushions, tires and brakes.
The asking price for the airplane is $850,000, but we’re told trades are accepted.
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