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Originally given the nickname "Fledgling," but more widely known as the "Jeep", the AT-9 was designed by Curtiss as a transition trainer for student pilots assigned to fly high performance twin-engine aircraft. The prototype first flew in 1941, with production versions entering service in 1942. Known initially as the Model 25, it had a fabric covered steel tube fuselage and fabric covered wings, but production airframes were of stressed metal skin construction. 491 AT-9s and 300 AT-9As were built before production ended in February 1943. The AT-9 was not easy to fly or land, which made it particularly suitable for teaching new pilots to cope with the demanding flight characteristics of a new generation of high performance, multi engine aircraft. They remained in use for a comparatively short time, and were phased out of service as production tactical models and more versatile trainers for full crew integration training became available.
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