Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep by Dora Wings

1/48 scale
Kit No. 48043
Retail: $38.00
Decals: Four versions , all U.S. Army Air Force, WWII
Comments: Engraved panel lines, photo-etch details, paint masks included

History

Of all the aircraft produced by American industry during World War II, nearly 25% of them were trainers — a total of 55,000 of them. While they received little public recognition since the press focused on the combat aircraft, the trainers were critical to the success of the air war. One such aircraft was the Curtiss AT-9. Early in 1941, Brigadier General K.B. Wolfe, Chief of the Materiel Division at Wright Field, dispatched Captain William Morgan to meet with Curtiss-Wright Chief Engineer George Page, Jr. and relay to him the Army Air Corps’ rigorous requirements for a new trainer.

Captain Morgan said there was an urgent need for a “transition trainer” to prepare maturing Air Corps cadets at the advanced stage of their training to go from single-engine trainers to twin-engine combat aircraft that were soon to enter service — planes like the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American B-25 Mitchell, and the Martin B-26 Marauder. Morgan emphasized that the Air Corps did NOT want the new advanced trainer to be easy to fly or land.

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 advanced trainer was used to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and twin-engine combat aircraft. The prototype first flew on October 16, 1940 with test pilot Ned Warren at the controls. The maiden flight was quite eventful: during the climb-out, as the plane reached 105 mph, the left side pilot’s window glass blew out completely. At 115 mph, significant stabilizer buffeting began, and reducing power to the engines would not cure it. Warren was able to maintain control, but then the hydraulic line to the pressure valve burst, spraying the observer with hydraulic fluid.

Despite this beginning, Curtiss -Wright went to work on the bugs that afflict most new aircraft, and a series of modifications followed. Deliveries of the AT-9 to Air Corps training units began in the Fall of 1941, and over time it became apparent that there was a problem with the main landing gear which contributed to a number of accidents. After extensive taxiing and landing tests, the problem was traced to a defective geometric lock on the main landing gear. Orders were issued for a secondary lock to be installed, and as this retrofit spread through the AT-9 fleet, accidents declined.

The prototype AT-9 had a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and fabric-covered wings, but by the time production got underway the restrictions on strategic materials were lifted and AT-9s that entered service were of stressed metal skin construction. The AT-9 was not easy to fly or land, making it particularly suitable for teaching new pilots to cope with the demanding flight characteristics of a new generation of high-performance, multi-engine aircraft such as the Martin B-26 and Lockheed P-38.

Pilots and instructors alike either loved the AT-9 or hated it. Some described it as an ideal aerobatic airplane — which was unusual for a trainer. Others found it too taxing. They all agreed on one thing: it was a remarkably easy aircraft to get into and out of. Like the Bell P-39, it featured automobile-style doors over the wings facilitating entry and exit. The AT-9 had a unique “Tell-Tale” system best described as an automatic warning indicator mounted on the upper right center of the instrument panel. It alerted the pilot to problems with key systems aboard the aircraft, including oil pressure, oil temperature in the engines, and control coordination (retarding the throttle too far if the gear was not down). While it could be helpful, some training stations incorporated the use of the “Tell-Tale” into their orientation and others did not, preferring to train pilots to rely on their primary instruments and controls, just as they would have to do in an actual service aircraft — particularly in the heat of combat.

Perhaps one of the best testaments to the character of the AT-9 as a flying machine came from one of the instructors, 2nd Lt. Don J. Armand, who himself had trained on Cessna AT-17’s: “As my time built up in the plane, I liked it more and more. It demanded my full attention, but as long as I stayed ahead of it, the AT-9 was a joy to fly.”

Although the AT-9 originally bore the nickname “Fledgling,” it did not stick and during World War II the plane was more widely known in the press as the “Jeep,” although it was rarely referred to by that name on the flight line by either instructors or pilots in training. Four hundred ninety-one AT-9s and 300 AT-9As were built before production ended in February 1943.

The Kit

Dora Wings’ Curtiss-Wright AT-9 is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 160 parts, including seven clear parts for the windshield, cabin doors and navigation lights. A notable feature is that the “car door” style hatches for the cockpit are molded as clear pieces. The cockpit is extremely detailed, with a center console assembly consisting of at least a dozen small parts for various controls and the most delicate bomber-style control yokes this modeler has ever seen in 1/48 scale — special care will be required in handling these parts.

The seats require small plastic as well as photo etch straps to be cemented on before they are complete, and there is a detailed PE instrument panel with injection molded rudder pedals, sidewall inserts, together with a rear bulkhead, fire extinguisher and an overhead instrument panel situated on the underside of the centerline canopy framing. For control surfaces, there are separately mounted ailerons, rudder and elevators.

The landing gear are quite detailed, and require internal bulkheads that must be assembled before they are cemented into the engine nacelle interiors. The radial engines are likewise very detailed., with separate parts for the pushrods The cowling lips are thankfully single parts, so although seam hiding will be required at some point during the construction of the multi-part nacelles, it will not have to be done right up front on the leading edges. Engine mounts are detailed two-piece affairs with separate exhaust manifolds, and these assemblies look like they will require precision, both during assembly and while getting the three-piece cowlings fitted over them.

Markings

The kit decals are by Decograph and are of excellent quality, with realistic color and fully in register. Markings are provided for four aircraft, the first of which is Serial No. 41-12043 of the 556th School Squadron, appearing in overall aluminum with yellow cowlings and blue cowling lips. The rudder is presented with a dark blue vertical band and red-and-white horizontal stripes, and decals are provided for the rudder but not the cowlings. It crashed on May 27, 1942. The second aircraft, Serial No. 41-12059, is also in overall aluminum, with red cowlings, a red vertical tail and red diagonal stripes on the wings. It also bears a black stripe on the ventral surface of the fuselage extending from the trailing edge of the wings to the rudder. This aircraft was based at Lubbock Army Air Field in Lubbock, Texas during 1942-43.

The third aircraft, Serial No. 42-56947, appears in overall aluminum and has the front half of the cowlings painted white, with Olive Drab on the entire cowling upper surfaces. This machine was based at Randolph Army Air Field during 1942-43. The fourth aircraft, Serial No. 41-11978, is painted in the standard wartime scheme of Olive Drab over Neutral Grey. It was attached to the 338th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group during 1944, probably as a liaison aircraft.

Conclusion

It is a pleasure to see this kit offered in an injection molded format in 1/48 scale at last. While opinions differ about its cosmetic appeal, to this modeler’s eye it is a beauty, signifying the pinnacle of the streamlined art deco aircraft design of the late 1930’s. Highly recommended.

References

• The National Museum of the United States Air Force
• The Curtiss -Wright AT-9: The Other Jeep by Dan Hagedorn, Copyright 2019 by MMP Books; 27-600 Sandomierz 1, Poland.