Page 32 - Volume 10 Number 12

Popular airshow pilot Julie Clark wows crowds with aerobatic maneuvers in her T-34A. She purchased the airplane surplus
from the U.S. Air Force in 1976 for $18,000 and completed an in- depth restoration in 1981. A retired captain for Northwest Airlines, Clark flies the Mentor at many airshows across the United States and is a frequent spokesperson in support of women in aviation. For more information about Clark’s T-34A and her airshow schedule, go to www. JulieClarkAirshows.com. (PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID HENRY VIA JULIE CLARK)
for Fuji Heavy Industries to build the T-34A, and 137 aircraft were completed. Other armed forces that flew the T-34A include the Mexican Navy and the Venezuelan Air Force. The first sale of Mentors for civilian use occurred in 1958 when the International Training center for Civil Aviation in Mexico bought four airplanes to train pilots.
As of 2016, the exact number of Beechcraft Mentors being flown by civilian pilots worldwide is unknown, but a reasonable estimate is 100-150. The airplane is prized by sport pilots for its robust airframe and aerobatic capabilities, and some airplanes have been painted in U.S. Air Force and Navy color schemes that replicate the Mentor in service as a “warbird.” KA
Ed Phillips, now retired and living
in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more
than 80 years.
NOTES:
1. Phillips, Edward H.: “Pursuit of Per- fection: A History of Beechcraft Air- planes;” Flying Books, Eagan, Minnesota, 1992.
2. McDaniel, Willian H: “The History of Beech;” McCormick-Armstrong Co., Inc. Wichita, Kansas, 1971.
3. Ibid
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. Ibid
7. Harding, Stephen; “U.S. Army Aircraft
Since 1947”: Specialty Press, Stillwater, Minnesota. 1990.
DECEMBER 2016
30 • KING AIR MAGAZINE