Voices

• Andrew P
• Ryan K
• Jason M
• Hiram D
• Lance T

T-38s

There are a few privately owned T-38s in the US, most of them (I think) based out of Van Nuys, CA and owned by Thorton Aircraft Company.
Does anyone know if/where you can get a ride in one of these things and how much it might cost? Any T-38 info would be appreciated…\

Are the T-38s still flown much by the military? I assume they’re still being used extensively for training purposes. I wonder if the privately owned ones were purchased new or retirements from active service…?

I had a student once who was a former air force pilot who was spooling up in a new Bonanza he had purchased. He told me some great stories about his training and the subsequent flying that he did in the first gulf war.
One of the stories that stands out about his training is the overhead approaches they would execute in the T-38.
For those that don’t know an ‘overhead’ approach is a VFR military arrival procedure that has an airplane fly over the runway numbers at a relatively high speed at which point the airplane begins a climbing right 180 degree turn that brings the airplane up the pattern altitude, gets it below it’s gear operating speed and places it at the abeam position opposite the direction of touchdown in one flowing, slowing and climbing turn.
My student reported that in a T-38, this maneuver can be performed while flying just above the stall buffet. The climbing right turn for these well trained pilots has them flying just above the stall buffet as the airplane climbs, slows and configures for landing.

Nice…I’m still trying to visualize this a bit. I guess they’re coming over the numbers at relatively low altitude, but turning before they reach the end of the runway….not interfering with any aircraft taking off?

IF you get a chance, swing into Alliance FortWorth. Perot has an awsome T-38 flown by a retired Thunderbird driver. It is even painted like a thunderbird. It is pretty cool.
SIDE NOTE
T-38s are still the Chairityforce’s aircraft of choice for the Jet/Bomber/FAIP-if you will/U-28/UAV Pipelines.

Hiram,
yup … the ‘overhead’ maneuver is a military maneuver that has the airplane lose speed and configure for landing without wasting any time. The pilot comes over the numbers at a speed just under cruise. Once they are over the runway, the pilot pulls into a high G climbing turn that bleeds speed off the aircraft and ideally leaves them at the abeam position and at a speed at which the gear can be dropped. From there it is ‘normal’ base leg and final approach. My student was relaying that in the T-38 they would make that first pull just to the stall buffet and hold it there until arriving at the abeam position.

Overhead approaches are pretty damn cool if you’ve ever seen one…I used to watch fighter jets do these all the time. Often they fly in tight formation over the numbers, then peel off once every several seconds to give themselves appropriate spacing on the downwind. It’s really cool.

Andrew,
I agree. very cool. Is anybody headed to Oshkosh? I’m sure you’ll see them there :)