Officials celebrate 50th anniversary of T-38 Talon

[bdk]

Officials celebrate 50th anniversary of T-38 Talon

(Sorry, no photo!)

Four T-38 Talons fly over Randolph Air Force Base¸ Texas. The T-38 completed its first flight 50 years ago on April 10¸ 1959. In five decades of service¸ more than 75¸000 pilots have flown in a T-38 while earning their wings. [U.S. Air Force photo]

The U.S. Air Force celebrated five decades of T-38 Talon service in a ceremony in El Segundo, Calif., on April 10. The aircraft, which flew for the first time on April 10, 1959, has been modified by Boeing as part of the Avionics Upgrade Program. Boeing’s AUP team delivered 456 T-38C jets to the Air Force and 10 to the U.S. Navy following a contract award in November 1997.

"Every fighter and bomber pilot trained by the Air Force in the past 50 years has been trained in the T-38," said Maj. Gen. Greg Feest, 19th Air Force commander at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, who served as keynote speaker at the event. "The impact this aircraft has had on the Air Force has been profound. We have relied on the T-38 to ready our young aviators to meet the challenges of aerial combat to ensure air domination."

Thus began recognizing five decades of the venerable supersonic jet trainer’s service in developing 75,000 pilots -- and still counting -- who would strap into it to earn their wings.

"It’s an honor to have been part of supporting the T-38 advanced supersonic trainers. The commitment, skill and dedication of our workforce and suppliers will be key to continuing our service to the T-38 for years to come," said Steve Waltman, Boeing director of Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance for the Maintenance, Modifications & Upgrades division of Global Services & Support.

Of the initial 1,187 Talons produced between 1959 and 1972 more than half are still in service. The Air Force operates most of the fleet, although Navy and NASA pilots also fly the T-38.

Maj. Gen. David Eichhorn, Air Force Flight Test Center commander at Edwards AFB, Calif., who also spoke at the ceremony, said he shares two significant milestones with the date of the T-38’s maiden flight. April 10 is his birthday, and he began his own aviation career April 10, 1977, when he entered undergraduate pilot training at Vance AFB, Okla. He said the T-38 provided the first real thrill of his pilot career.

"You run it up, plug in the afterburners and release the brake," he said of his initial T-38 experience. "Then you feel it push you back in the seat, and you go, ’Whoa! This is cool!’ The first time you do it, that’s a big, big thrill."

The Talon is not likely to end its Air Force service anytime soon as a replacement trainer would not likely see service for at least eight to10 more years. With its upgrades, including a redesigned wing that will retrofit the entire fleet, the Talon is expected to fly past 2020, which would give the first supersonic jet trainer a service life of more than 60 years.

[262crew]

[262crew]

I was told the original design of the T-38/F-5 was a lot bigger. Until GE came in with the proposed J-85. Apparently Northrop had to scale down the airframe to match the thrust and size of the J-85. Anyone know if this is true?




If you have never seen a J-85 they are tiny! It could easily fit in the trunk of your Honda or KIA! (with out the tail pipe)

[The Inspector]

I've read accounts of the GE rep showing up @ NORTHROP with a wooden full sized mockup of the engine and the engineers @ NORTHROP asking half jokingingly'what scale is that?' and about dropping their eye teeth when told 'that IS full sized'
In a 1963 JANES I have somewhere is an ad for the T-38 stating amongst other things that, it's ability to go 1+ on one engine-

[Randy Haskin]

somewhere is an ad for the T-38 stating amongst other things that, it's ability to go 1+ on one engine-

Man, that is a serious overstatement.

[Holedigger]

Straight Down?!

[The Inspector]

IT's advertising for Petes sake!
Do you really think that goofy looking $40K hybrid car will really get 45 MPG? If you do, I just happen to own a fur coat covered bridge between two boroughs in New York thats full of ROLEX watches, interested?

[Holedigger]

IT is a good solid design. It apparently HAS done the job intended rather well. 50 years and still going says something. They do look mean in aggressor squadron colors. What is is the pipeline to replace them? I suppose the AF will demil them into 4x4 chunks rather than put them out to pasture...

[262crew]

It's a classic for sure! Timeless lines! Love to watch them do touch and goes here at Paine field!

[Tom Moungovan]

I worked on them while stationed at Edwards in the 60's...we had maybe 10 of them there. and they flew every day.
I don't ever recall losing one in the 3 years that I was there. The canopies were operated and locked mechanically with a lever under the sill on the right hand side. Once you learned to scribe a pencil mark across the serrated plate where they were mounted before you removed it, the canopy was easy to re-install. If you forgot, then you were in for a long time of trial and error trying to adjust it, usually under that hot Mojave sun. I also remember that they flew chase on a lot of the test flights of other birds. Great flying machine with high availability.

[RickH]

The T38 upgrades were started at NASA Ellington. Glass cockpit, radar, center section upgrade, new wing that gets rid of the 'golden triangle", new inlets, variable nozzles, Martin Baker Mk 16 seats, and engines that won't flame out at 50,000 ft. I heard the T38 Project Manager tell a group of individuals that NASA planned to operate them until 2080 ! Yes, I said 2080 ! What a great airplane !