What kind of combat airplane is stearman PT-17?

Answer 1

The Stearman PT-17 and PT-13D were designed prior to WWII by Lloyd Stearman and were built by the Stearman division of Boeing in Witchita, Kansas throughout the war years. More than 10,000 were produced and exported to many countries. The Stearman is an open cockpit bi-plane with a radial engine, (Continental on the 17 and Lycoming on the 13D.)

Of the many variants built the were a number built for the Argentinan Air Force that were armed with machine guns under the wings and a rotating, aft facing machine gun turret in the rear cockpit. These were designated as light attack aircraft and were powered by Pratt and Whitney 450 H.P. radials.

I've owned a Stearman for the past 20 years, it's a fabulous aircraft to fly...

Answer 2

Funny how the Stearman pilots here seem to be getting all the thumbs down!

Yeah, it was a Primary Trainer. After the war, you could pick 'em up really cheap, so the crop dusting outfits snapped up a bunch of 'em. Now that dedicated cropdusting aircraft are being built, the Stearman dusters are being re-converted from dusters back to two seaters.

The PT-17 did really well in combat against the boll weevil, but not so good against telephone wires.

Yeah, I've flown 'em too, so can I get my thumbs down now?

Answer 3

As I recall it was a 2 seat light trainer. PT usually stands for pilot trainer. Doubt that it was used in combat but could be wrong.

Answer 4

Trainer. Not an actual combat aircraft per se.

Answer 5

Actually the one above me with the f y i is right about the trainners, altho they were not the old PT-17
Can't tell you what they were, but they looked like the ones you see in the ww11 movies on carriers.

Answer 6

Agriculture Combat for insecticides and crop enhancement. Although it was built as a trainer it was the first really effective Crop Duster.

Answer 7

The PT stands for primary trainer it was never used for combat.

http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/kaydet.html

incidently my original issue army flight training and operations manual for the PT-17 lists it page one as a Primary Trainer.

Allways Trutful below: you are correct here is a site that you may identify the aircraft you saw and what they were used for.

http://www.farfromglory.com/aircraft.htm

Answer 8

F Y I

There were quite a few 2 seat prop driven (trainers ) used as combat planes in the early days of the V N war Jets were too fast and we did not have the tech. then as now for air to ground support. Jungle canopy to thick for fast planes to see what was going on.