Existing comment:
Cessna UC-78B Bobcat
Dubbed the "Bamboo Bomber" by the pilots who flew them, the UC-78 was a military version of the commercial Cessna T-50 light transport. Cessna first produced the wood and tubular steel, fabric-covered T-50 in 1939 for the civilian market. In 1940 the U.S. Army Air Corps ordered them under the designation AT-8 as multi-engine advanced trainers.
Cessna built 33 AT-8s for the Air Corps and production continued under the designation AT-17 to reflect a change in equipment and engine types. In 1942 the U.S. Army Air Forces adopted the Bobcat as a light personnel transport and designated those delivered after Jan. 1, 1943, as UC-78s. By the end of World War II, Cessna produced more than 4,600 Bobcats for the USAAF, 67 of which were transferred to the U.S. Navy as JRC-1s. In addition, Cessna produced 822 Bobcats for the Royal Canadian Air Force as Crane 1s.
The UC-78 on display is one of the 1,806 UC-78Bs built for the USAAF and was acquired by the museum in 1982. |