*Aircraft listed "On Loan" are privately owned by individuals or corporations and are proudly displayed at the Estrella Warbird Museum. The Estrella WarBirds Museum does not own, restore, operate nor maintain flyable aircraft. We are grateful that the owners display their aircraft at the museum for the public to view. Any courtesy rides given by aircraft owners is an agreement solely between the person that owns the aircraft and passenger.
Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Beech | |
|---|---|---|
| Year/Model: | 1956 D45 T-34B Mentor | |
| S/N: | BG-139 140901 | |
| Tail Number: | N45TB | |
| Power Plant: | 240 hp Continental 0-470 | |
| Wingspan: | 32 feet 10 inches | |
| Length: | 25 feet 11 inches | |
| Height: | 9 feet 7 inches | |
| Gross Weight: | 2,900 pounds | |
| Maximum Speed: | 188 lmph | |
| Cruising Speed: | 173 mph | |
| Service Ceiling: | 20,000 feet | |
| Range: | 975 statute miles | |
| Status: | Privately Owned, On Display | |
| Owner: | The Gooney Bird Corp | |
T-34 in Flight
History
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C Turbo-Mentor, powered by a turboprop engine. The T-34 remains in service more than six decades after it was first designed.
A prototype for this plane, derived from the civil V-tail Bonanza, first took flight on December 2, 1948 as a military trainer for Air Force tests and evaluation.
The T-34 Mentor began as a private venture designed by Walter Beech shortly after WW II. Beech felt that there was a market for a military trainer based on the Model 35 Bonanza which had been flying for about a year.
Beech used the Bonanza as a starting point and began work on the design of the Model 45. The first two prototypes were powered by 205 hp Continental engines while the third had a more powerful 225 horsepower engine. The prototype made its first flight Dec. 2, 1948. The aircraft were then shown to the Air Force which ordered three military test aircraft under the designation YT-34. It wasn't until late 1952 the Air Force ordered the YT-34 into production under the designation T-34.
The T-34 spent a quarter of a century in use as a pilot trainer. The first of 350 aircraft were delivered to the Air Force in 1953 with the Navy receiving its first of 423 aircraft in 1954.
The T-34 design was rugged and reliable and best of all it was all metal construction. Many trainers as late as WW II were not. The T-34 also had many parts in common with different models of the Beech Bonanza and Debonair. Replacement parts were readily available and kept costs down.
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