PT-17 Question

[Cadetat6]

OK CADETS PT-17 Stearman

 

Had two hoses from rear cockpit to the front cockpit

One was instructor to student communication tube

One was a relief tube.

If you had to use the relief tube make sure you did not use

the communication tube.

One end of communication tube had a funnel.

Was the funnel on instructor or student end of communication tube ??

Did instructor sit in the front or rear cockpit ??

 

Cadetat6

[Custermen]

Are you serious? I've never heard about a relief tube in one of those ole birds. I thought that was only for large a/c that you could walk around in.

I wonder why the cockpit comm tube only had a funnel on one end. I guess the guy up front would have the most trouble hearing. So in my opinnion, the funnel would be in the rear cockpit.

 

The following quote was from a site, listed below.

Student pilots occupied the front cockpit, while the instructor sat in a rear cockpit with identical controls.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ma_pt-17...earman_hist.htm

 

That was pretty typical for most trainers of that time.

 

US Air Force Museum site:

http://www.hill.af.mil/museum/photos/wwii/pt-17.htm

Intesting that their PT-17 was found in Mississippi living the life of a crop duster. When I grew up in the cotton fields of Mississippi, the stearman crop duster was a common site. Maybe you could write these guys and get an answer.

 

Or try Aviation Enthusiast which has are to upload comments - at

http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/ste...arman/pt-17.htm

 

Here is a link about WASP pilots and their problems with relief tubes and where to carry their make-up kit.

http://www.marchfield.org/waspweb.html

 

BTW, I also found this little bit of info.

The Army models were PT (for Primary Trainer) -13, -17, and -18, depending on whether they had the 200 Lycoming, Continental or Jacobs radial engine. The PT-27, procured under the U.S. Army designation and serial numbers for Lend-Lease to Canada, was a special winterized PT-17 and was not used by the U.S.

 

Steve

[Walt's Daughter]

Papa's friend sent this:

----------

 

Hello, Art.

 

Family OK. Your's too, I hope. As you can see in this PT-19 Cornell http://christian-john.com/primary.html the instructor was in the front cockpit. But in the AT-6 I instructed from the rear cockpit. From there I had eye contact on the student, but it was really for the student's learning benefit. Once I required a forced-landing of a new student by cutting off the engine (most instructors just hollered, "Forced-landing" and throttled down). That new student immediately threw open the canopy and started to bail out. I made him get back in his seat and go through the proper procedure. Now, what if the instructor had been in fhe front cockpit??!! And, as for that one rubber tube --- it was unreliable in slow rolls and in inverted flight.

 

Give my regards to Chuck and Marion.

John