WWII Trainer to Commemorate Legendary Aviator and Patriot

Comprising some 13,000 members and seventy-units, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) boasts the largest collection of airworthy World War II-vintage aircraft in the great, wide world.

The CAF’s Virginia-based Capital Wing is tasked with the stewardship of warbirds the likes of Grumman’s TBF Avenger, designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors); Stinson’s L-5 Sentinel liaison aircraft, a small unarmed, high-wing airplane used by U.S. military forces primarily for artillery observation, transporting commanders, and conveying messages; Fairchild’s UC-61 Forwarder light transport aircraft; and Vultee’s BT-13 Valiant—a basic trainer used by the United States Army Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and even the U.S. Coast Guard.

That the BT-13 Valiant was as ubiquitous and useful in the 1940s as it is unknown in the 2020s is a wrong the CAF is endeavoring to set right.

Of late, the intrepid folks down Virginia way have overhauled the engine of the Capital Wing’s BT-13, and decked the slick, low-wing monoplane out in a classic red, yellow, and silver livery. When complete, the BT-13 will serve as an air-going tribute to the late Brigadier General and honorary CAF member Charles McGee.

McGee, who lived in Virginia and often visited the Capital Wing, earned his wings and commission as a U.S. Army Air Corps 2nd Lieutenant on 30 June 1943. So credentialed, Lt. McGee was assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron, with which he flew 136 combat missions in the first 11-months of his deployment.

In all, McGee’s military service spanned thirty-years, during which he accrued over six-thousand flight hours—1,151 of which were under combat conditions. General McGee served as a U.S. fighter pilot in three major conflicts, completing 409 missions for the Army Air Corps and Air Force. He is one of the few fighter pilots who flew one-hundred or more combat missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

General Charles McGee passed away at his home in Bethesda, MD on 16 January 2022.

The Capital Wing continues to raise funds and work diligently toward its goal of having the BT-13 back in the air in 2023. The Capital Wing has self-funded $50,000 for the overhaul of the BT-13’s engine, but a fair number of parts have yet to be acquired, and a goodly amount of work remains to be done. Parties wishing to contribute to the BT-13’s restoration and the truly remarkable American warrior whose legacy it celebrates are invited to visit www.capitalwingwarbirdrides.org/bt-13-valiant .

FMI: www.capitalwing.org