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USAF TRAINING AIRCRAFT The aircraft in which our class and
thousands of other Air Force Pilots trained. Click the pictures for more complete descriptions of the aircraft. |
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Seen here on the left is a Beech T-34 Mentor (see T-34 Association), derived from the famous Beechcraft Bonanza. The distinctive V - shaped tail was replaced with the more traditional empennage you see here, to provide more positive control during aerobatic maneuvers. Trainees were introduced to the basics of flight in this aircraft, receiving only about 30 hours of instruction. After they were phased out, many of them were donated to Aero Clubs at various military bases. It's hard to believe today, but some students had never flown before their first training flight in this aircraft. |
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Pictured on the right is the Cessna T-37 (USAF Photo) in which we received instruction for the next six months. This was referred to as Primary Flight Training. We nicknamed this aircraft the "Tweetie Bird," because of the high-pitched whine of its two engines. Even though it was a twin-engined aircraft, it was considered equivalent to a single-engined plane, because the engines were mounted near the center of the fuselage. It |
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was the first USAF jet aircraft designed from conception as a trainer. The T-37 entered operational USAF service in 1957 and as of this writing (Jan 2003) is still serving in that capacity! |
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