Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita

The Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita is an American World War II trainer built for the United States Army Air Forces by Beechcraft, used to train pilots for multi-engined aircraft such as bombers. Beechcraft began designing the Model 25 early in 1940 to meet a requirement for a small twin-engined trainer with retractable landing gear; because of concerns about a future shortage of aluminium the requirement called for non-strategic materials, so the aircraft was built primarily from wood. The Model 25 prototype was destroyed in a crash on 5 May 1941, work on the Model 26 began the next day, and deliveries to the USAAF began in February 1942. The type was named Wichita after the Kansas city where Beechcraft has its factory. Beechcraft delivered 1,771 AT-10s before its production ended in 1943, and Globe Aircraft built another 600 before production finally ceased the following year.