Tactical Jet

Northrop T-38 Talon

January 23, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Northrop. Model: T-38. Nickname: Talon
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Tactical Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 10/30/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 600
> Number of Times Flown: 491
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: F-5

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 20
> Date First Flown: 2/24/1986
> Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD (KNHK)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: US Naval Test Pilot School, Ken Carlton

Recollections: The T-38 Talon. WHAT AN AIRPLANE! Fuel flow while taxiing almost same as going Mach 0.9 at altitude (what?!). Doesn’t carry much fuel, though (the first time I took it on a cross country, when I got to cruise altitude and noticed I had used over a quarter of my fuel, I considered declaring min fuel…until I did the math and realized that the airplane’s cruise fuel flow was ridiculously low for how fast it was going). This airplane is my favorite jet. 12,500 lb, supersonic, the designers were geniuses. I credit this airplane with teaching me efficiency in flight test…you had to be prepared, think through your test points, combining fuel efficiency (using “energy paper, a pre-set piece of paper which combines potential and kinectic energy into one plot, to help you transition from one point to the next in the most efficient manner) with safety. After detailed planning, I “chair flew” every flight in the airplane, so I wouldn’t waste a second…you just didn’t have fuel to waste. I flew it every chance I got (53 times alone during my 11 month course as a TPS student) and then flew it another 400+ times as an instructor. The airplane was perfect for TPS and is one of the reasons it’s been there for 50+ years. Why is it perfect? Well, the efficiency thing, for one. But is also has–at least for Navy pilots–very different flying qualities than a Navy jet. It’s a “front side” airplane, meaning you’re on the front side of the drag polar (most of the time) and this requires different pilot technique.

T-38 “Teakettle 15” at USNTPS
U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain (RELEASED)

It’s also an airplane that brought tragedy to USNTPS when, in July of 2000, we lost Gareth Rietz and Ray O’Hare. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about these two and those they left behind.

Aero L-39 Albatros

December 29, 2024 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Aero Vodochody
Aircraft Model: L-39
Aircraft Nickname: Albatros
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Tactical Jet
Category: Airplane
Class: Single Engine Land
Engine Description: Single Engine Jet

Aircraft Experience
As of: 10/31/2024
Number of Hours Flown: 2.1
Number of Times Flown: 2
Other Aircraft Models Associated: None

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown: 104
Date First Flown: 5/24/2000
Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD (KNHK)
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval (Vendor pilot: “Smith”, details unknown)

Recollections: I’ve flown the L-39 twice, once while in the Navy and more recently as part of training for my job as a Test Pilot in the FAA. Unfortunately, I do not remember the first flight in 2000. My logbook is no help and has a curious entry in the remarks section “Smith (imposter)”. No idea what that means.

Perhaps that first flight was replace in my memory bank with the next one, which I do remember well. I attended a short course with the UAT company (a company that I’d flown with many years prior in a P-51 during my year as a student at TPS) for Upset and Recovery Training. I flew with John “Homer” Black and, enroute to the practice area, we flew formation off of fellow FAA test pilot Bill Witzig in another T-39.

UAT L-39 Albatros (Stock photo) (c) UAT

The upset training was excellent and the jet was easy to fly. This jet, perhaps as no other, has made it’s way into the civilian “warbird” world and it’s also used in a variety of flight test roles. Perhaps I’ll get to fly it again!

Aermacchi MB-326 Impala

December 29, 2024 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Aermacchi
Aircraft Model: MB-326
Aircraft Nickname: Impala
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Tactical Jet
Category: Airplane
Class: Single Engine Land
Engine Description: Single Engine Turbojet

Aircraft Experience
As of: 10/30/2024
Number of Hours Flown: 1.3
Number of Times Flown: 1
Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown: 119
Date First Flown: 3/27/2002
Location First Flown: Mojave, CA Airport (KMHV)
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: National Test Pilot School (NTPS), Ed Solski

MB-326 Impala at NTPS (stock photo) (c) Airliners.net

Recollections:
I flew this aircraft, on a familiarization flight at the National Test Pilot School, while I was attending a 6 week “initial” course for my job as an FAA Test Pilot. It was a flight of two, with Greg Lewis and John Hagen in the other airplane and, after conducting some formation flight, we split to conduct spins, including inverted spins. The airplane struck me as being a wonderful machine, somewhat akin to the T-2 in terms of it’s utility and ease of operation.