David
Thu January 16, 2003 6:24pm
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AT-37 Tweet
Function: The T-37 Tweet is a twin-engine jet used for training undergraduate pilots, undergraduate navigator and tactical navigator students in fundamentals of aircraft handling, and instrument, formation and night flying.
History: The T-37A made its first flight in 1955 and went into service with the Air Force in 1956. The T-37B became operational in 1959. All T-37A's have been modified to T-37B standards. A contract was awarded in August 1989 to Sabreliner Corp. for the T-37B Structural Life Extension Program. The contract included the design, testing and production of kits, installed by a U.S. Air Force contract field team, which modified or replaced critical structural components for the entire fleet, extending the capability of the T-37 into the next century. More than 1,000 T-37s were built, and 507 remain in the U.S. Air Force inventory. All have been repainted in a distinctive dark blue and white to help formation training and to ease maintenance.
Description: The twin engines and flying characteristics of the T-37 give student pilots the feel for handling the larger, faster T-38 Talon or T-1A Jayhawk later in the undergraduate pilot training course. The instructor and student sit side by side for more effective training. The cockpit has dual controls, ejection seats and a clamshell-type canopy that can be jettisoned. The T-37 has a hydraulically operated speed brakes, tricycle landing gear and a steerable nose wheel. Six rubber-cell, interconnected fuel tanks in each wing feed the main tank in the fuselage.
The T-37B has improved radio navigational equipment, UHF radio and redesigned instrument panels. Many foreign air forces fly the T-37B, including those of Thailand, Greece, Chile, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan. Students from 12 North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries train in T-37B's at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Flying the T-37C are the air forces of Portugal, Peru, Colombia and Greece, among others.
The T-37C is similar to the T-37B, but has provisions for both armament and wingtip fuel tanks. The plane can carry two, 250-pound (112.5 kilogram) bombs. Associated equipment includes computing gun sights and a 16mm gun camera. The aircraft can be fitted with cameras for reconnaissance missions.
General Characteristics, T-37 Tweet
Builder:
Cessna Aircraft Company
Unit Cost:
$164,854
Power Plant:
Two Continental J69-T-25 turbojet engines
Thrust:
1,025 pounds (461.25 kilograms), each engine
Length:
29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters)
Height:
9 feet, 2 inches (2.8 meters)
Wingspan:
33 feet, 8 inches (10.2 meters)
Maximum Take-off Weight:
6,625 pounds (2,981 kilograms)
Speed:
315 mph (Mach 0.4 at sea level)
Ceiling:
35,000 feet (10.6 kilometers)
Range:
460 miles (400 nautical miles)
Armament:
T-37B, none
T-37C has provisions for external armament
Crew:
Two (instructor and student)
Inventory:
Active force, 507
ANG, 0
Reserve 0
Date Deployed:
December 1956
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David
Thu January 16, 2003 6:24pm
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T-1A Jayhawk
Function: The T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer. It is used by the U. S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command to train student pilots to fly airlift or tanker aircraft.
History: The Jayhawk represents the first new training aircraft procured by the Air Force in 30 years and marks the beginning of a new era in undergraduate pilot training. The first aircraft was delivered to Reese Air Force Base, Texas in January 1992. Student training in the T-1A began at Reese in 1993. Since the late 1950s, Air Force undergraduate pilot training students have trained in two aircraft: the T-37 Tweet, the primary trainer and the T-38 Talon, the advanced trainer. With the introduction of specialized undergraduate pilot training in 1993, students continue to receive their primary flying training in the T-37. Advanced training for students identified to go into bombers and fighters will be in the T-38. Those selected for airlift or tanker aircraft will receive their advanced training in the T-1A.
The T-1A is used at all undergraduate pilot training bases: Columbus AFB, MI; Laughlin AFB, TX; and Vance AFB, OK. It is also used at Randolph AFB, TX, to train instructor pilots.
Description: The swept wing T-1A is a version of the Beech 400A. It has cockpit seating for an instructor and two students and is powered by twin turbofan engines capable of an operating speed of Mach .73. The T-1A differs from its commercial counterpart with a single-point refueling system with greater capacity and increased bird strike protection in the windshield and leading edges for sustained low-level operation.
General Characteristics, T-1A Jayhawk
Contractor:
Raytheon Corporation
Unit Cost:
$4.1 million
Power Plant:
Two Pratt and Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan engines
Thrust:
2,900 pounds each engine
Length:
48 feet, 5 inches (14.75 meters)
Height:
13 feet, 11 inches (4.24 meters)
Wingspan:
43 feet, 6 inches (13.25 meters)
Maximum Take-off Weight:
16,100 pounds (7,303 kilograms)
Speed:
538 miles per hour (Mach .73)
Ceiling:
45,000 feet (13,636 meters)
Range:
More than 2,100 nautical miles
Armament:
None
Crew:
Three (pilot, co-pilot, instructor pilot) and observer
Inventory:
Active force, 154, (180 anticipated by end of 1997)
ANG, 0
Reserve, 0 0
Date Deployed:
February 1992
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David
Thu January 16, 2003 6:24pm
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T-38 Talon
Function: The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record. It is used primarily by Air Education and Training Command for undergraduate pilot and pilot instructor training. Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also use the T-38 in various roles.
Background: The Talon first flew in 1959. More than 1,100 were delivered to the Air Force between 1961 and 1972 when production ended. Approximately 562 remain in service throughout the Air Force.
Description: The T-38 has swept-back wings, a streamlined fuselage and tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel. Two independent hydraulic systems power the ailerons, flaps, rudder and other flight control surfaces. The instructor and student sit in tandem on rocket-powered ejection seats in a pressurized, air-conditioned cockpit. Critical components are waist high and can be easily reached by maintenance crews. Refueling and preflight inspections are easily performed.
The T-38 needs as little as 2,300 feet (695.2 meters) of runway to take off and can climb from sea level to nearly 30,000 feet (9,068 meters) in one minute.
Student pilots fly the T-38A to learn supersonic techniques, aerobatics, formation, night and instrument flying and cross-country navigation. More than 60,000 pilots have earned their wings in the T-38A.
Test pilots and flight test engineers are trained in T-38A's at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Air Force Materiel Command uses T-38A's to test experimental equipment such as electrical and weapon systems.
Pilots from most North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries are trained in the T-38A at Sheppard AFB, Texas, through the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses T-38A aircraft as trainers for astronauts and as observers and chase planes on programs such as the space shuttle.
Air Education and Training Command uses a modified version, the AT-38B, to prepare pilots for fighter aircraft such as the F-15, F-16 and A-10. and F-111. This model carries external armament and weapons delivery equipment for training.
An ongoing program called Pacer Classic, the structural life extension program for the T-38, is integrating 10 modifications, including major structural renewal, into one process. As a result, the service life of T-38s should extend to the 2010. Additionally, the introduction of the T-1A Jayhawk significantly relieved the T-38's work load.
General Characteristics, T-38 Talon
Builder:
Northrop Corporation
Unit Cost:
$756,000
Power Plant:
Two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines with afterburners
Thrust:
2,900 pounds (1,315 kilograms) with afterburners
Length:
46 feet, 4 1/2 inches (14 meters)
Height:
12 feet, 10 1/2 inches (3.8 meters)
Wingspan:
25 feet, 3 inches (7.6 meters)
Maximum Take-off Weight:
12,500 pounds (5,670 kilograms)
Speed:
812 mph (Mach 1.08 at sea level)
Ceiling:
Above 55,000 feet (16,667 meters)
Range:
1,000 miles (870 nautical miles)
Armament:
T-38A: none
AT-38B has provisions for external armament
Crew:
Two (instructor and student)
Inventory:
Active force, 562
ANG, 0
Reserve 0
Date Deployed:
March 1961
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 9:52am
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A T-37 Tweet aircraft fro
A T-37 Tweet aircraft from the 85th Fighter Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas, flies over Lake Amistad during a training mission. The T-37 Tweet is a twin-engine jet used for training undergraduate pilots, undergraduate navigator and tactical navigator students in fundamentals of aircraft handling, and instrument, formation and night flying. The twin engines and flying characteristics of the T-37 give student pilots the feel for handling the larger, faster T-38 Talon or T-1A Jayhawk later in the undergraduate pilot training course. The instructor and student sit side by side for more effective training. The cockpit has dual controls, ejection seats and a clamshell-type canopy that can be jettisoned.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 9:52am
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A T-37 Tweet aircraft fro
A T-37 Tweet aircraft from the 85th Fighter Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas, flies over Lake Amistad during a training mission. The T-37 Tweet is a twin-engine jet used for training undergraduate pilots, undergraduate navigator and tactical navigator students in fundamentals of aircraft handling, and instrument, formation and night flying. The twin engines and flying characteristics of the T-37 give student pilots the feel for handling the larger, faster T-38 Talon or T-1A Jayhawk later in the undergraduate pilot training course. The instructor and student sit side by side for more effective training. The cockpit has dual controls, ejection seats and a clamshell-type canopy that can be jettisoned.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 9:52am
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Test pilots and flight te
Test pilots and flight test engineers are trained in T-38A's at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Air Force Materiel Command uses T-38A's to test experimental equipment such as electrical and weapon systems. The Alliance agreement allows qualified NASA Dryden Flight Research Center pilots to fly particular Air Force Flight Test Center aircraft, like the T-38 Talon, and vice versa.
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