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 scheduled to be replaced by the T-6 Texan II but is still the primary aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Whiting Field.
The Mentor is the aircraft used by the Lima Lima Flight Team.
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.
This year (2006) two T-34C Turbo Mentors crashed during training at NAS Corpus Christi.
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Variants
- 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 - turboprop engine
- T-34C-1 - equipped with hardpoints for training or light attack. Widely exported.
Specifications (T-34C)
General characteristics
- Crew: two, student and instructor (capable of single pilot operation from front cockpit)
- 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: 2,960 lb (1,342 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 4,300 lb (1,950 kg)
- Powerplant: 1x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25, 550 shp (410 kW), 1315 ft·lbf (1,783 N·m) torque (NATOPS limited to 425 shp (317 kW), 1015 ft·lbf (1,376 N·m) torque
Performance
- Maximum speed: 280 knots IAS surface-20,000 feet; 245 knots IAS 20,000-25,000 feet.
- Range: 600 nautical miles (1,110 km).
- Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m).
- Rate of climb: 1,480 ft/min (451 m/min).
- g limitations: 4.5 positive, 2.3 negative.
Military Operators
- Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gabon, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Spain, United States (Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard), Uruguay, Venezuela.
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.
Related content
Related development: Beechcraft Bonanza - Beechcraft Travel Air - Beechcraft Baron
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence (US military): T-31 - T-32 - T-33 - T-34 - T-35 - T-36 - T-37
Designation sequence (Beechcraft): 35 - 36 - 38 - 45 - 50 - 55 - 56
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