SHE FLIES!!!
Valiant Effort Foundation
Preserving the past for the future.
Thank you for visiting Valiant Effort LLC, a grassroots organization dedicated to the maintenance and operation of a 1941 Vultee BT-13A Valiant, a military basic flight trainer used by all the armed forces in the United States in World War 2. Our current mission goals are as follows:
Restoration
Over the past five years, Valiant Effort has been fully committed to restoring our BT-13A to an airworthy state. Hundreds of man hours through a cadre of dedicated and experienced mechanics have been invested in this ongoing project thus far, and we are quickly closing in on our first live engine tests! Our ultimate goal is to return the aircraft to a flyable state so that it may resume making appearances at air shows and other public venues.
“Living Exhibit” Education
Once the restoration has been satisfactorily completed and the aircraft has been certified to fly, our BT-13A will continue to do what she has done best - to educate the general public on HOW World War 2 aviators and aviatrixes in the US earned their wings prior to deployment for combat or other auxiliary duties during that timeframe. Nothing comes close to accomplishing that than to physically see and touch one of those trainers such as our BT-13A.
Now Available
Greg Gibson of Props & Gears has created a collection of merchandiset celebrating Annie and all other BT-13s around the world. All set an actual image of ol’ 59842 against a weathered American flag, and includes the Vultee Aircraft logo. Additionally, it highlights our partnership with the Association of Professional Warbird Operators, whom we are eternally grateful for their support during this restoration. Please visit the page here for your Annie themed merch
A portion of the proceeds from its sale will go directly to the restoration/operation costs of Annie. It will be offered in a variety and colors and sizes so that almost every supporter can proudly display their love and affection for their favorite Valiant!
Latest News
August 10, 2025
Almost seven years of carefully planning, thousands of hours of effort, and sheer will culminated in this one moment! On this day at approximately 10:25a, Annie finally broke her shackles that grounded her for so very long! With a fair sized crowd watching in anticipation, 41-21218 lifted off with a mighty roaring growl, soaring skywards to the playground that she has missed so very much!!!
Annie lifts off from KLVK. Photo by Christopher Walter.Over the course of two flights that spanned better than two hours high above Livermore, the flight crew felt out her flying manners and carefully monitored her systems. The ol’ gal faired better than “good”! If nothing else, we were very surprised at how extremely well she handled and faired up there! Let that be a testament to the hard work that was put into her restoration! We are so thankful to EVERYONE that lent a hand on getting her back up to snuff, gave us encouragement as we did so, and/or showed their unwavering support as the process went along!!!
The testing shall continue! We have more than a few hours to go for this engine break in of ours! But from what we saw postflight, its a helluva start!!! An incredible start!!!
A side note to the tower staff of Livermore Municipal Airport: THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving us what we needed to run this very first set of test flights! You made this mission of ours all that much more simple with your accommodations on us operating in and around your airspace!!!
Monthly Newsletter
For the fastest way to catch up on the current situation with our BT-13’s restoration, click on the following links.
January 2024February 2024March 2024April 2024May 2024June 2024July 2024August 2024September 2024October 2024November 2024December 2024January 2025February 2025March 2025April 2025Valiant Effort LLC would like to extend a warm “thank you” to the following organizations for their continued interest in our project. Please help us return the favor in visiting their websites.
