Military Pilot Training - Soloing the T-37

[aviatorr727]

I posted a lot of pictures from my USAF Pilot Training at Williams AFB, Arizona at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviatorr727/sets/72157601902012851/

Here is the story of how I soloed in the T-37

Most Air Force instructors in the Pilot Training program were calm, reasonable men who used enlightened techniques to train pilots. There were a few insructors, however, we labled as "screamers". The kindest thing I can say of them is that they must have believed that yelling, screaming, and occasionally squeezing our oxygen hoses so that we could not breathe, was a way of ensuring that we would learn to function under-pressure, if things went really bad.

On the day that I was to solo in the T-37, I had no idea that this would happen. We were flying landing patterns, and suddenly my instructor started shouting at me : " If you don't fly the next pattern better, I'm going to ground your ass and you're never gonna fly another *&#!@*- Air Force plane as long as you live"

I flew the next pattern as best I could and my instuctor shouted: "OK, I'm done. Land this fu---ng airplane full stop! "

I was crushed, thinking that my career as a USAF pilot was now over.
We pulled into the parking spot and I reached over to shut both engines down. He slapped my hand, shut down the right side engine, climbed out, reached inside and started securing his seat belt and oxygen hose.

He said : "I've had enough and I'm getting out. Don't forget to restart the right engine. I want to see 3 good landings. Are you gonna go out and kill yourself? "

I replied: " No Sir "

He answered: "Well, if you do, go do it somewhere that I don't have to watch, stay off of the radio and go-in like a man"

I soloed OK and decided that I would later ask my Flight Commander for a different IP. Next morning, I gathered up my courage to do that, but before I could say a word, my Flight Commander assigned me to another IP to whom I'm forever in his debt for teaching me a lot more about flying.

[Larry Dighera]

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:32:56 +0000, aviatorr727
> wrote:

>I posted a lot of pictures from my USAF Pilot Training at Williams AFB,
>Arizona at:
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviatorr727/sets/72157601902012851/
>
>Here is the story of how I soloed in the T-37
[Interesting story snipped]

How many hours did you have when your instructor felt you were ready
to solo the Tweet?

What are your opinions regarding the T-37 as a personal aircraft?

[aviatorr727]

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:32:56 +0000, aviatorr727
wrote:

I posted a lot of pictures from my USAF Pilot Training at Williams AFB,
Arizona at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviatorr727/sets/72157601902012851/

Here is the story of how I soloed in the T-37
[Interesting story snipped]

How many hours did you have when your instructor felt you were ready
to solo the Tweet?

What are your opinions regarding the T-37 as a personal aircraft?

================================================== ========

I think I had about 15 - 20 hours in the T-37 when I soloed. I think it would be an excellent personal plane if you can afford the fuel and maintenance. It does not have a lot of range, but it is excellent for aerobatics.

[Larry Dighera]

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:12:50 +0000, aviatorr727
> wrote:

>
>Larry Dighera;614706 Wrote:
>> On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:32:56 +0000, aviatorr727
>> wrote:
>> -
>> I posted a lot of pictures from my USAF Pilot Training at Williams
>> AFB, Arizona at:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviatorr727/sets/72157601902012851/
>>
>> Here is the story of how I soloed in the T-37-
>> [Interesting story snipped]
>>
>> How many hours did you have when your instructor felt you were ready
>> to solo the Tweet?
>>
>> What are your opinions regarding the T-37 as a personal aircraft?
>
>================================================== ========
>
>I think I had about 15 - 20 hours in the T-37 when I soloed.

So it's safe to say that the T-37 takes about twice the time for a
student to become proficient enough to solo as a typical GA trainer.
Given that it has more than twice the performance, I'd say that's
reasonable.


>I think it would be an excellent personal plane if you can afford the
>fuel and maintenance.

I tried to research the specifications to see what sort of fuel usage
might be reasonable to expect, but I didn't find any mention at these
sites:


http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/t-37_tweet.pl
T-37 Tweet Specifications
Unit Cost: $164,854
Powerplant
Two Continental J69-T-25 turbojet engines rated at 1,025 pounds
(461.25 kilograms) each
Dimensions
Length: 29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters)
Wingspan: 33 feet, 8 inches (10.2 meters)
Height: 9 feet, 2 inches (2.8 meters)
Weights
Empty: 6,211 pounds (2,817 kilograms) -- OA-37B Dragonfly
Maximum Takeoff: 6,625 pounds (2,981 kilograms)
Performance
Speed: 360 mph (Mach 0.4 at sea level)
Ceiling: 35,000 feet (10.6 kilometers)
Range: 460 miles




http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=341
Cessna T-37 Tweet
PERFORMANCE:
Engine(s): 2 x Continental J69-T-25 turbojet engines delivering
1,025lbs of thrust each. - Compare Stats
Max Speed: 425 mph | 684 km/h | 369 kts
Max Range: 932 miles | 1,500 km
Service Ceiling: 39,199 ft | 11,948 m | 7.4 miles
Climb Rate: 3,370 ft/min (1,027 m/min)

DIMENSIONS:
Length: 29.27 ft | 8.92 m
Wingspan/Width: 33.79 ft | 10.30 m
Height: 9.19 ft | 2.80 m
Empty Weight: 3,869 lbs | 1,755 kg
MTOW: 6,598 lbs | 2,993 kg



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-37_Tweet
Specifications (A-37B Dragonfly)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 32 ft 1 in (9.79 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.71 m)
Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Wing area: 184 ft² (17.1 m²)
Empty weight: 6,210 lb (2,815 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 15,000 lb (6,800 kg)
Powerplant: 2× General Electric J85-GE-17A turbojets, 2,855 lbf
(12.7 kN) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 480 mph (420 knots, 770 km/h)
Cruise speed: 300 mph (260 knots, 480 km/h)
Range: 800 NM (920 mi, 1,480 km)
Service ceiling 41,800 ft (12,700 m)
Rate of climb: 7,000 ft/min (35.5 m/s)



http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/T-37.asp
The T-37C, with provisions for armament and extra fuel, was built
for export. In all, nearly 1,300 T-37As, Bs and Cs were built
before production ended in the late 1970s. In addition, nearly 600
A-37s — attack modifications of the T-37 — were built.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 33 ft., 10 in.
Length: 29 ft. 4 in.
Height: 7 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 6,580 lbs. loaded
Armament: none
Engines: 2 X Continental J69-T-25s of 1,075 lbs thrust each
Crew: Two
Serial Number: 57-2289

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 410 mph.
Cruising speed: 350 mph.
Range: 650 miles
Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft.

Additional interesting information here:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=6239&type=1


Fuel is fast becoming a financial obstacle, not only to aviation, but
to automobile travel as well. What model of the Tweet did you fly,
and approximately what was the fuel usage in your experience?

Is there anything special about maintenance? I always thought
turbojet engines required less maintenance than reciprocating engines.

>It does not have a lot of range,

The range figures above provide anywhere from 460 to 932 miles, so
it's difficult to assess the range issue.

>but it is excellent for aerobatics.

I would expect it to be quieter than a typical internal combustion GA
machine. Is there provision for a G-suit?

It's fun to dream.....

[es330td]

On Mar 23, 1:32*pm, aviatorr727
> wrote:
> I posted a lot of pictures from my USAF Pilot Training at Williams AFB,
> Arizona at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviatorr727/sets/72157601902012851/
>
> Here is the story of how I soloed in the T-37
>
> Most Air Force instructors in the Pilot Training program were calm,
> reasonable men who used enlightened techniques to train pilots. There
> were a few insructors, however, we labled as "screamers".
> The kindest thing I can say of them is that they must have believed
> that yelling, screaming, and occasionally squeezing our oxygen hoses so
> that we could not breathe, was a way of ensuring that we would learn to
> function under-pressure, if things went really bad. *
>
> On the day that I was to solo in the T-37, I had no idea that this
> would happen. *We were flying landing patterns, and suddenly my
> instructor started shouting at me : " If you don't fly the next
> pattern better, I'm going to ground your ass and you're never gonna fly
> another *&#!@*- * Air Force plane as long as you live"
>
> I flew the next pattern as best I could and my instuctor shouted:
> "OK, I'm done. *Land this fu---ng airplane full stop! "
>
> I was crushed, thinking that my career as a USAF pilot was now over.
> We pulled into the parking spot and I reached over to shut both engines
> down. He slapped my hand, shut down the right side engine, climbed out,
> reached inside and started securing his seat belt and oxygen hose. *
>
> He said : "I've had enough and I'm getting out. Don't forget to
> restart the right engine. *I want to see 3 good landings. Are you gonna
> go out and kill yourself? " *
>
> I replied: " No Sir "
>
> He answered: "Well, if you do, go do it somewhere that I don't
> have to watch, stay off of the radio and go-in like a man"
>
> I soloed OK and decided that I would later ask my Flight Commander for
> a different IP. *Next morning, I gathered up my courage to do that, but
> before I could say a word, my Flight Commander assigned me to another
> IP to whom I'm forever in his debt for teaching me a lot more about
> flying.
>
> +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
> |Filename: 1339851702_ad6ccc6185_b.jpg * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *|
> |Download:http://www.aviationbanter.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23646|
> +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
>
> --
> aviatorr727

Thanks for the post. I spent almost 30 years living in San Antonio
and watched more flights of formation pairs of T-37s and T-38s out of
Randolph AFB than I can count. I always smiled when I saw those
pretty white planes flying overhead.

[150flivver]

Just to answer some questions:

No provision for g-suit.

Air Force Regs prohibit flying unpressurized aircraft higher than
FL250 so 25000 feet was the practical ceiling for the Tweet.

Typical sortie duration was less than 2 hours. Cross country legs
were similar. Lots of fuel stops to get anywhere interesting.

Definitely a fun airplane to own but the fuel costs would be brutal.

[es330td]

On Mar 25, 9:47*pm, 150flivver > wrote:
> Just to answer some questions:
>
>
> *Lots of fuel stops to get anywhere interesting.
>
I'm kind of curious about this statement. Wikipedia's specs on the
Tweet show a range of 800 NM, a distance roughly half that from LAX to
ATL or more than a third of the way from LAX to JFK. Unless those
specs are wrong, it looks like someone should be able to get anywhere
they want in two fuel stops or fewer from either coast.

> Definitely a fun airplane to own but the fuel costs would be brutal.

I think this is true of any jet but especially one that only carries
two people.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

es330td > wrote in news:d2958fda-48ab-4e90-8258-
:

> On Mar 25, 9:47*pm, 150flivver > wrote:
>> Just to answer some questions:
>>
>>
>> *Lots of fuel stops to get anywhere interesting.
>>
> I'm kind of curious about this statement. Wikipedia's specs on the
> Tweet show a range of 800 NM, a distance roughly half that from LAX to
> ATL or more than a third of the way from LAX to JFK. Unless those
> specs are wrong, it looks like someone should be able to get anywhere
> they want in two fuel stops or fewer from either coast.

That's probably 800 miles to dry tanks.


Bertie
>

[es330td]

On Mar 27, 2:19*pm, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
> es330td > wrote in news:d2958fda-48ab-4e90-8258-
> :
>
> > On Mar 25, 9:47*pm, 150flivver > wrote:
> >> Just to answer some questions:
>
> >> **Lots of fuel stops to get anywhere interesting.
>
> > I'm kind of curious about this statement. *Wikipedia's specs on the
> > Tweet show a range of 800 NM, a distance roughly half that from LAX to
> > ATL or more than a third of the way from LAX to JFK. *Unless those
> > specs are wrong, it looks like someone should be able to get anywhere
> > they want in two fuel stops or fewer from either coast.
>
> That's probably 800 miles to dry tanks.
>
> Bertie
>
>
>
> - Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

A 45 minute reserve cuts that range down to about 600 NM. I guess
that adds an average of one additional stop for long distance trips.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

es330td > wrote in news:badbce80-0109-4d10-b69f-
:

> On Mar 27, 2:19*pm, Bertie the Bunyip > wrote:
>> es330td > wrote in news:d2958fda-48ab-4e90-8258-
>> :
>>
>> > On Mar 25, 9:47*pm, 150flivver > wrote:
>> >> Just to answer some questions:
>>
>> >> **Lots of fuel stops to get anywhere interesting.
>>
>> > I'm kind of curious about this statement. *Wikipedia's specs on the
>> > Tweet show a range of 800 NM, a distance roughly half that from LAX
to
>> > ATL or more than a third of the way from LAX to JFK. *Unless those
>> > specs are wrong, it looks like someone should be able to get
anywhere
>> > they want in two fuel stops or fewer from either coast.
>>
>> That's probably 800 miles to dry tanks.
>>
>> Bertie
>>
>>
>>
>> - Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> A 45 minute reserve cuts that range down to about 600 NM. I guess
> that adds an average of one additional stop for long distance trips.
>
And then there is manuevering at low alt, at which jets suck diesel like
there is no tomorrow. You have to get up high and get pointed in the
right direction quick to make the best use of them.

IOW, if you descend into the pattern with what would have been 200 miles
worth of fuel, then have to go around and divert, it's not going to get
you the same distance as it would have if you were up at FL310 Having
said that, 600 nm is probably a reasonble figure to assume for an
airplane like that. I don't know anyone who's flown one, though. Got a
friend with a Vampire and he's hard pressed to get it 300 miles without
external tanks. It takes off with 55 minutes of fuel on board as
standard. I think the external tanks about double that.


Bertie