Minicraft Model Aircraft 1/48 Beech T-34A/B/C Mentor Kit

During the post-war years, the US military recognized a need for a cost-effective “higher performance” aircraft capable of good speed and maneuverability with gentle flight characteristics for training new pilots. Funding was scarce so the U.S. military turned to Beechcraft Aviation to modify their successful Bonanza into a tandem seat military trainer. A new aircraft based on the Beechcraft Bonanza was created using a tandem fuselage and sliding canopy. The Mentor was a very successful design that was used by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy and many US allied air force units. The T-34 A/B series ceased production in 1959, all are now retired from US military service, but many examples of this successful design can still be seen in flight today in private ownership. The more powerful T-34C used a turbo prop engine and this aircraft modernized the design so successfully that the “turbo Mentor” continued to be used for training long after the earlier T-34 A & B were retired.