T-34 Mentor
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The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Bonanza. The signature V-tail of the Bonanza was replaced with conventional tail control surfaces. The four-passenger cabin was replaced with a two-seater tandem cockpit and bubble canopy. The T-34A and T-34B used a conventional, piston driven engine while the T-34C Turbo Mentor is turboprop-powered. The T-34C is still used as the primary training aircraft for United States Navy and Marine Corps pilots. The T-34C is currently being replaced by the T-6 Texan II but is still the primary aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Whiting Field. NAS Pensacola has already completed the transition to the T-6 and the first T-6's are sheduled to arrive at Whiting Field in early 2007.
The Mentor is the aircraft used by the Lima Lima Flight Team. It is also used by Dragon Flight.
In 2004, due to a series of crashes involving in-flight structural failure during simulated combat flights, the entire U.S. civilian fleet of T-34s was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The grounding has since been eased to a series of restrictions on permitted flight envelope.
On January 27, 2006 a T-34C Turbo Mentor crashed during training at NAS Corpus Christi.
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[edit] Variants
- YT-34 - Prototype, three built.
- T-34A - US Air Force trainer. Replaced by the Cessna T-37 around 1960. (450 built)
- T-34B - US Navy trainer. Used until early 70s when it was replace by the T-34C. (423 built by Beechcraft)
- T-34C Turbo Mentor - Two-seat primary trainer, fitted with a turboprop engine.
- T-34C-1 - Equipped with hardpoints for training or light attack. Widely exported.
- Turbine Mentor 34C - Civilian version
- YT-34C - Two T-34Bs were fitted with turboprop engines, and were used as T-34C prototypes.
[edit] Specifications (T-34C)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 28 ft 9 in (8.75 m)
- Wingspan: 33 ft 4 in (10.60 m)
- Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
- Wing area: 180 ft² (16.7 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,960 lb (1,342 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,300 lb (1,950 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop, 550 shp (410 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 280 kt IAS (320 mph, 520 km/h)
- Range: 600 nm (690 mi, 1,110 km)
- Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,480 ft/min (7.5 m/s)
- g limit: 4.5 positive, 2.3 negative
[edit] Military Operators
- Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gabon, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, United States (US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard), Uruguay, Venezuela.
[edit] External links
- Navy.mil - Standard Aircraft Characteristics: T-34B Mentor
- GlobalSecurity.org: T-34 Mentor/T-34C Turbo Mentor
- FAS Military Analysis Network: T-34C Turbo Mentor
- US Navy Fact File: T-34C Turbo Mentor
- T-34 Association: Non-profit organization dedicated to "Keep 'em flyin".
- Lima Lima Flight Team: The world's only civilian 6-airplane formation aerobatic team -- they fly the T-34.
[edit] Citations
[edit] Related content
Related development
Beechcraft Bonanza - Beechcraft Travel Air - Beechcraft Baron
Designation sequence
(Beechcraft): 35 - 36 - 38 - 45 - 50 - 55 - 56
