Military Planes Archives - Plane & Pilot Magazine

This Incredible Plane: T-38 Talon

Frank Ayers — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:08:35 +0000

Name a 60-year-old airplane that has trained more than 50,000 pilots, is the ride of choice for NASA astronauts, and looks just as elegant as any of the latest supersonic jets on the ramp today. That describes the Northrop T-38 Talon.

Slender, graceful, supersonic, and highly maneuverable all apply here. Yet, the T-38 has managed to be forgiving enough to allow aspiring young U.S. Air Force pilots, with a little more than 100 hours flight time in their logbooks, to solo in it in just 10 to 12 hours. All of this may explain its more than 60 years of service training pilots in a wide variety of additional roles. So where did this story begin?

The year is 1953. The Air Force is in the middle of developing the Century Series of jet fighters, beginning with the F-100 Super Sabre and progressing through a line of ever larger, more powerful, and faster aircraft, the lone exception being the lightweight and very powerful F-104 Starfighter. Northrop Aviation, having become aware of the small-but-powerful General Electric J-85 jet engine, decided a true lightweight fighter propelled by two of these 3,000-pound thrust (with afterburner) engines was in order. The company felt its low- cost “hot rod” might outperform the Century Series fighters and not break the U.S. Treasury while doing it.

The airplane that emerged, designated the N-156, set the design for the more than 2,500 F-5 “Freedom Fighters” that would serve for nearly six decades with air forces around the world. The design featured two J-85 engines (with afterburner) mounted in tandem within a removable tail cone. The aircraft featured modest low-aspect-ratio wings, large all-moving stabilators, and an elegant single vertical tail. The cockpit section, mounted forward of the split inlets, was relatively roomy, well laid out, and featured outstanding visibility around the slender nose section. Despite its success as an export fighter, the F-5 didn’t match it at home, serving primarily in the aggressor role. However, the design became an immediate contender to replace the aging T-33 Shooting Star (itself a derivative of the original single-seat Lockheed P-80) in the 1958 U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) advanced trainer competition.

The subsequent airplane, the T-38A Talon—bereft of the F-5’s armaments, hardpoints, and war paint—featured a slightly lengthened nose section, gleaming white paint, and a tandem canopy. These modifications turned the relatively stubby F-5 into a graceful beauty, often dubbed the “White Rocket.” These good looks were matched by the Talon’s stunning performance. In 1962, a T-38A wrested the 3,000-, 6,000-, 9,000-, and 12,000-meter records for absolute time to climb from the significantly more powerful F-104 Starfighter. To be fair, an F-4 Phantom reclaimed these records a month later, but it took the combined thrust of the two 18,000- pound J-79 engines to beat the little Mach 1.3 T-38.

The T-38 entered service as the Air Force advanced trainer in 1961 and continues in that role today, even as it is being replaced by the Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk. More than 1,000 examples were constructed between 1961 and 1972. During those 60 years, the Air Force has been one of the few armed services in the world to turn loose its senior flight students in a supersonic jet.

Northrop T-38 Talons from Beale AFB and Randolph AFB on the ramp at MCAS Miramar, California. [Adobe Stock]

Over its lifetime, there have been many variants of the T-38, but the Air Force has primarily relied on three. In addition to the basic T-38A, an AT-38B variant was developed for “fighter lead in training” at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The B variant adds a basic gunsight and weapons pods to the airframe to help pilots make the transition from UPT to advanced fighter maneuvers. More recently, nearly 500 T-38A models were modified by the Boeing Co. to the T-38C configuration. These modifications increased the power and reliability of the original J-85 engines, enlarged the engine inlets to help the engines breathe better, strengthened the wings and tail feathers, and modernized the cockpit with digital/head-up display (HUD) technology.

And then there is the T-38N. In the early days of NASA, astronauts flew a variety of military jets to remain proficient, including the aging F-102 Delta Dagger. However, it quickly became clear that a cost-effective airframe for astronaut travel and proficiency was needed. Enter the Talon. Since 1961 NASA has operated a fleet of as many as 32 T-38N variants. These T-38s have been upgraded with weather radar, modern flight management systems, and improved communication systems to allow for their frequent travel in the National Airspace System.

And the N models sport the space agency’s iconic paint scheme, featuring the NASA stripe down the fuselage and logo on the tail. During the space shuttle years, the T-38N was the primary means of transport for astronauts from Houston to Cape Canaveral in Florida. Every prelaunch press conference was conducted in front of a covey of gleaming NASA T-38s lending their stunning good looks to the occasion. And finally, no image of the space shuttle landing test program would be complete without a pair of T-38s flying chase.

A pair of T-38 Talons permanently ready to launch at Johnson Space Center in Houston. [Adobe Stock]

For most people, the most iconic representation of the T-38 is the livery of the Air Force Thunderbirds. During the early 1970s gas shortages, the T-38 fit the bill as an economical yet high-performance demonstration aircraft. From 1974 until a tragic accident in 1982 during practice that claimed the lives of the four diamond pilots, the Air Force Thunderbirds flew the T-38 in flight demonstrations around the country. Additionally, SR-71, U2, B1, B2, and B-52 pilots, among others, flew the T-38 as a low-cost way to keep their edge.

So, this prompts the question: What is it like to fly the T-38? The more than 50,000 pilots who have flown the aircraft would tell you it flies as well as it looks. With the power to perform beautiful, 6,000- foot loops, a 720-degree-per-second roll rate, and 170-knot final approach speed, the airplane responds to the pilot’s slightest commands with immediate response. And hats off to T-38 instructor pilots (IPs). Since the T-38 does not feature the “stadium seating”—the instructor seat mounted well above the student’s—of more modern trainers, T-38 IPs master landing from the back seat without actually being able to see their touchdown point. And landing is the best part—just aim about 500 feet short of the runway threshold, and at the last second, pull back slightly on the stick, and the Talon will smoothly touchdown at the cruise speed of a Cirrus SR20 every time.

As mentioned, the Talon is scheduled to remain in service until the end of the decade, while its successor, the Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk, comes online. When they finally retire, maybe more will find their way into private hands, just like the P-51 Mustangs that grace the air show circuit. So, next time you are at an airshow, look for this incredible plane lighting up the sky.

This article first appeared in the August 2023 print edition of Plane & Pilot.

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NASA AD-1 Oblique Wing Research Aircraft

Deb Ings — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 16:38:07 +0000

One of the biggest challenges that stymied researchers and aerodynamicists in the 1940s through the 1950s was the so-called “sound barrier:” Nearing the speed of sound, aircraft of that era encountered heavy stick forces and airflow separation from the wing, and pilots sometimes lost control, usually with fatal results. Toward the end of World War II, German researchers and engineers were very close to a solution to this problem with modestly swept-wing aircraft, but their designs never left the drawing board. After the war, the Allies recovered the science and furthered their own research into swept-wing aircraft to easily (and controllably) exceed Mach 1.

World War II German engineers also explored the flight characteristics of a movable single wing. One of their designs, the oblique-wing Messerschmitt P-1109, was first drafted in 1944. A high-mounted wing would swivel on its vertical axis, sweeping one wing forward and one wing back to enable the aircraft to achieve high-speed flight without changing the center of lift, and with less thrust. For takeoff and landing, the wing would be positioned to a symmetrical straight-wing configuration, thereby optimizing performance for those phases of flight over swept wing aircraft. The P-1109 was never built, and it isn’t known if a wind-tunnel model of the aircraft was ever constructed or tested.

Interest in oblique-wing design returned in the 1970s, several years after a few variable swept-wing aircraft entered service. Most notably, the F-111, Mig-23 and Mirage aircraft were fast without losing desirable low-speed flying characteristics. However, high wing-hinge loads for these aircraft often resulted in maintenance issues. Looking for another way to get excellent high-speed performance with lower mechanical loads, NASA engineer Robert Thomas “R.T.” Jones (who innovated the “American” delta and swept wing) revisited and advanced research into oblique wing design.

NASA Dryden Research Engineering Division, with the notable assistance of Burt Rutan, brought Jones’ eventual design to fruition. The small proof-of-concept AD-1 was constructed of composite materials, powered by two French Microturbo TRS-18 engines (220 pounds of thrust apiece) and utilized a mechanical flight control system. Primary control of wing sweep consisted of an electric jackscrew mechanism with manual backup capability. The AD-1 weighed about 15,65 pounds, including fuel, pilot and test equipment. The aircraft stalled at about 60 knots and took off in 1,400 feet. It was noted during testing that at airspeeds below 100 knots, the control forces were comparable to a low-performance sailplane.

The AD-1 completed 79 test flights between 1979 and 1982. Its first test flight was purely by accident, with NASA test pilot Tom McMurtry unintentionally becoming airborne during a high-speed taxi test. The public was treated to the odd-looking aircraft at the Oshkosh Air Show in Wisconsin in August 1982, as the AD-1 wowed the crowd on eight different demonstration flights. Funding cuts to the program made these air show demos the last flights of the AD-1.

Ultimately, because of handling characteristics of the AD-1, the oblique wing concept never garnered commercial or military applications. However, fly-by-wire technology, which can negate some of these unwanted flight-handling problems, has renewed interest in oblique wing technology, mostly in the field of unmanned aerial systems.

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Double Trouble

Bill Cox and Photography by James Lawrence — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 04:00:00 +0000

The P-51 Mustang is almost universally regarded as the best fighter to emerge from World War II. Talk to Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson or any of a hundred other military test pilots, and they’ll tell you the airplane was nothing less than a stroke of genius when it was introduced in 1942.

As I learned three years ago (flying with Lee Lauderback in Kissimmee, Fla.), it’s a myth that the P-51 is an inherently dangerous airplane. Certainly, the powerful Mustang deserves special treatment, and it does have some quirks, but it flies pretty much like most other WWII fighters. Granted reasonable care and proper power management, the Mustang is an easy-flying airplane with few surprises inside the normal flight envelope.

Lee, president of Stallion 51, is in the business of providing Mustang check-outs to the very edge of that envelope. Lee’s company specializes in teaching anyone with the means and the talent to fly the P-51. His pristine, two-seat, dual-control TF-51, Crazy Horse, is unquestionably one of the best-known Mustang trainers in the world, and Lee campaigns the immaculate warbird around the country on the air-show circuit when he’s not instructing in it.

When I flew with Lee in 2001, he explained that few dual-control Mustangs had been built by North American during WWII, and fewer still are available today. Most of the Mustang trainers flying today, perhaps a dozen at most, are converted P-51Ds. In those days, Stallion 51 operated three TF-51s, the original Crazy Horse, Mad Max and Diamondback, all three airplanes converted P-51Ds. Lee also commented that Stallion 51 was working on converting another standard P-51D to the TF configuration, bringing the total of dual-control Mustangs to 13.

Enter Crazy Horse2. The Mustang was originally delivered to the RCAF at the close of WWII and became a civilian airplane in 1950. It passed through the hands of several owners after that, becoming a race plane at the Reno Air Races in the ’70s and ’80s, flying under the names Foxy Lady and Somethin’ Else.

The airplane was finally purchased by Dick Thurman of Louisville, Ky., in 1997. Thurman, veteran of a previous P-40 restoration and a dedicated warbird enthusiast, was eager that the P-51 be more available to the warbird community rather than the personal transport of a single owner. Accordingly, after only three years of flying under the name Kentucky Babe, Thurman sold N351DT to Lee’s Stallion 51 in 2000. Lee’s brothers, Peter and Richard Lauderback, immediately launched into a full, ground-up restoration, and the result was a Best P-51 Award at the 2000 EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis.

Crazy Horse2 is a virtual duplicate of the original Crazy Horse and is intended to supplement the company’s training fleet while the latter is undergoing a major overhaul. By the time you read this, Crazy Horse2 will have assumed the mantle of primary teaching machine for Stallion 51.

From a distance, the TF-51 and P-51D may look similar, but, in fact, the TF version incorporates a number of upgrades and improvements to adapt the original, single-seat Mustang to two seats and dual controls. One of the primary mods involves removing the standard 85-gallon auxiliary tank aft of the pilot’s seat and installing a second seat, seat belts and shoulder harnesses in the rear position. This left the airplane with 180 gallons in the wings, plenty for flights of two hours or less.

While the missing fuselage tank allows provisions for carrying a passenger, aft occupants had best be short, especially if they’re wearing a helmet. The standard, sharply tapered canopy presents a problem with headroom in the rear. Tall passengers have to scrunch down in the seat or bend forward slightly to fit into the rear pit. Owners of stock P-51s are sometimes reluctant to replace the canopy with a more squared-off, oblong version for fear of ruining the airplane’s lines. Another factor that sometimes influences the decision to stay with the stock canopy is cost. The TF-51 canopy costs about $50,000.

Those who do mount the two-place canopy wind up with a comfortable two-seater, but enabling the rear seat with even a partial set of dual controls is a gargantuan undertaking. The minimum aft control installation demands stick, rudder pedals, throttle, prop and mixture, not to mention a full set of flight instruments and enough engine instruments to monitor manifold pressure, rpm, oil pressure, oil temperature and cylinder head temperature. Plumb all of that to the engine and appropriate controls, and you essentially have a total rebuild of the main fuselage.

“That’s exactly what you have to do to convert a stock P-51D to a dual-control TF-51,” explains Stallion 51 president Lee. “Parts aren’t always readily available, and in some instances, you have to fabricate your own hardware. We were fortunate with Thurman’s Mustang in that the airplane was already in great condition. That made our job considerably easier in converting the airplane to dual controls.”

Crazy Horse2 now becomes arguably one of the world’s most valuable single-engine warbirds, and Lee will press it into immediate service while the original Crazy Horse is down for maintenance, including a full engine overhaul of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650 engine. That’s not an easy process on an engine that has been out of production for 50 years.

During the war under the stress of combat, pilots often boosted power to “war emergency,” 67 inches of manifold pressure. Such high power settings sometimes destroyed a Mustang engine in 100 hours or less, but Lee teaches techniques designed to make any Mustang Merlin last as long as 500 hours between overhauls.

Warbirds are wont to attract other warbirds. And such was the case when Lauderback added Crazy Horse2 to the skies over Florida. Immediately on the scene was Glacier Girl, the most famous and most expensively restored P-38 Lightning in the world.

“Maximum takeoff power on the Mustang’s Rolls-Royce engine is 61 inches of manifold pressure, but there’s really no reason to use that much power unless you’re in a bind,” says Lee. “The full 61 inches delivers about 1,720 hp at 3,000 rpm. We suggest instead a maximum of 55 inches of manifold pressure for takeoff. Back in WWII, military avgas was rated as high as 130 octane, but today, 100 octane is the limit. Fifty-five inches won’t cause detonation, it’s plenty to lift two pilots plus full fuel, and it will still provide about 1,400 horsepower, enough to assure excellent performance.”

We caught up with Stallion 51’s two Crazy Horse Mustangs in conjunction with Sun ‘n Fun 2005. A huge gaggle of warbirds was in town, including a little of everything from WWII.

It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Pilot Journal was on hand in Kissimmee when Chino, Calif., Planes of Fame pilot Steve Hinton showed up with perhaps the world’s most famous Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Glacier Girl. In case you’ve been living on the dark side of the moon and hadn’t heard, Glacier Girl may be the most expensive single-engine warbird restoration ever. In total, its resurrection and renovation has demanded nearly 30 years of effort.

The Lightning was one of a flight of six P-38s and two B-17s that took off from Bluie West 8, Greenland (better known today as Sondre Strom Fjord), headed for ReykjavÃk, Iceland, in July, 1942. As a part of Operation Bolero, the flight was the second attempt to ferry warbirds across the North Atlantic to England via Greenland and Iceland. The gaggle of eight airplanes ran into characteristically bad weather over the Denmark Strait and turned back to Greenland. The airplanes ran out of fuel and crashed on the ice cap barely inland from the southeast coast of the island continent.

All the crews survived the crash landings without injury and were rescued, but the airplanes were left to the elements. Over the years, they gradually became buried underneath 270 feet of snow and ice. Recovery efforts began in the ’70s with warbird fanatic David Talichet. At least three separate expeditions attempted to locate and raise the airplanes before the project was undertaken by Roy Shoffner of Middlesboro, Ky.

In 1992, Shoffner finally located and succeeded in raising the remnants of a single P-38, appropriately named Glacier Girl, from the depths of the ice cap. The severely damaged pieces were ferried to Oshkosh by a DC-3 in time for display at the 1992 AirVenture.

The ensuing restoration process required nearly a decade. When the rebuild was complete, Glacier Girl became one of only a half-dozen P-38s still flying. The airplane now resides at Roy Shoffner’s Lost Squadron Museum in Middlesboro, but the museum regularly employs Steve Hinton, one of the world’s most experienced warbird pilots, to fly the Lightning in air-show appearances around the United States.

Rounding out our flight of classic warbirds was Tim Savage’s B-25 medium bomber, N3155G. The B-25 is a near-perfect photo ship for warbird pictures with its high cruising speed and aft-gun position converted to a photo port. Savage owns Warbird Digest, and his airplane has been specially painted in the magazine’s colors and scheme.

Watching the three fighters in formation on Savage’s B-25, it’s hard to believe that they’re all the result of multimillion-dollar restorations and that each is a classic reminder of an era of aviation now long gone. With the continuing efforts of folks such as Lee, Steve Hinton, Tim Savage, Roy Shoffner and Dick Thurman, the legacy of World War II aviation is in good hands.

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