View source for Cessna AT-17 Bobcat

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Cessna AT-17 Bobcat
| image = Cessna AT-17 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Cessna AT-17 Bobcat. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via [[commons:File:Cessna AT-17 (cropped).jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Cessna
| type = Trainer, five-seat light transport and utility aircraft
| first_flight = 26 March 1939 (T-50)
| produced = 1939-1944
| status = Retired, some examples in private use
| number_built = 5,422
| faa_registered = 41 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = Five (pilot and four passengers)
| engine = 2 × Jacobs R-755-9, 245 hp
| cruise = 175 mph (AT-17)
| range = 750 mi (AT-17)
| ceiling = 22,000 ft (AT-17)
| gross_weight = 6,062 lb (AT-17)
| category = Historic aircraft
}}

The '''Cessna AT-17 Bobcat''', also called the '''Cessna Crane''', is a twin-engine trainer used in World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and multi-engine combat airplanes.<ref name="wp"/> It was the military version of Cessna's T-50 light transport, and 5,422 were built.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 41 with a valid registration, most under the T-50 name.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
In 1939, three years after Clyde Cessna retired, the T-50 became the company's first twin-engine airplane and its first with retractable landing gear. It first flew on March 26, 1939.<ref name="wp"/> Military versions were the AT-8 and AT-17 trainers, the UC-78 transport and the Crane Mk I for Canada; the Royal Canadian Air Force ordered 180 Cranes in September 1940.<ref name="wp"/>

In U.S. service it was nicknamed the "Bamboo Bomber". Few were left when the U.S. Air Force was formed in September 1947, and the type was declared obsolete in 1949.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''41''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| T-50 || 36
|-
| UC-78 || 4
|-
| UC-78B || 1
|}
</div>

== Specifications (AT-17) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! AT-17
|-
| Crew || Five (pilot and four passengers)
|-
| Length || 9.98 m
|-
| Wingspan || 12.78 m
|-
| Height || 3.02 m
|-
| Wing area || 295 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 3,500 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 6,062 lb
|-
| Engine || 2 × Jacobs R-755-9, 245 hp (seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial piston engine)
|-
| Maximum speed || 195 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 175 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 63-66 mph
|-
| Range || 750 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 22,000 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,150 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Cessna Crane 02.JPG|A Cessna Crane on display at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Photo: Ahunt, Public domain
File:CessnaUC78C.jpg|Cessna UC-78C. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Cessna UC-78 Bobcat in flight.jpg|Cessna UC-78 "Bobcat". Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
File:CessnaT-50 CAA NC-33 (5289547410).jpg|Cessna AT-17 Bobcat. Photo: Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Cessna T-50 NC67094 (4722764164).jpg|Cessna AT-17 Bobcat. Photo: Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Cessna AT-17 (1010445214).jpg|Cessna AT-17 (AC 42-30) from Stockton Field. Photo: Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Cranebav.jpg|Konrad Johannesson Flying Service Cessna Crane at Brandon Avenue Seaplane Base in Winnipeg, c. Photo: Konrad JohannessonCopyright holder: Brian Johannesson, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:UC-78B “Bamboo Bomber” (49871626652).jpg|From the museum website: The UC-78B is a military version of the commercial Cessna T-50 light transport. Photo: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 2.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Cessna AT-17 Bobcat ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_AT-17_Bobcat Cessna AT-17 Bobcat]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>