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Writer's pictureJ.K. Caldwell

Northrop T-38A Talon

A Spyplane Pilot's Companion Trainer


First Impressions: The T-38A is a missile with wings. Like the lethal bird-of-prey’s claws for which it is named, the Talon keeps the world’s best reconnaissance pilots sharp.

Background: The Talon’s success as an airplane is solely centered on its General Electric J85 engines, originally designed for use in decoy cruise missiles. However, its high thrust and lightweight design opened the door for use in small jets. In the 1950s, the USAF needed a replacement for the T-33 Shooting Star. Northrop adapted its N-156F lightweight fighter (later the F-5 Tiger II) to create the YT-38, which first flew in April 1959. The T-38A, the world’s first supersonic trainer, became operational in 1961. Having now trained over 72,000 U.S. Air Force pilots, it continues to serve the USAF, even as the T-7A Red Hawk nears operational capability.

Companion Trainer History: In the early days of the U-2 (prior to 1973), there were no two-seat trainers. In order both to evaluate and prepare potential U-2 pilots for solo, a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star was flown with a U-2 instructor. Pilots also received one training flight in a Citabria at Ryan Field in Tucson, Arizona to build their tailwheel skills. When U-2 operated at Davis-Monthan AFB, a Cessna U-3A (military designation for the C-310A) was used as a chase plane for U-2s on landing approach.


Initially, the T-38 was a “companion trainer” for SR-71 Blackbird pilots and RSOs. The cost per flight hour for Blackbird pilots to maintain proficiency was prohibitive, so the T-38 helped keep their skills sharp. In 1976, when the U-2 Dragon Lady moved to “Recce Town USA” (Beale AFB, California), the T-38, conveniently in place as an SR-71 companion trainer, was adopted for use by U-2 pilots.


Since the supersonic Talon is vastly different from the ultra-long wing, high-altitude spy plane, why does it serve as a good companion trainer for U-2 pilots? The simple answer is airmanship. U-2 pilots fly their single engine spy plane solo on long (8 to 12 hours), demanding missions. They soar in the Stratosphere, some 11 miles above the Earth, over hostile locations hundreds of miles away from their home bases. They wear spacesuits that both restrict their view and prevent them from relieving an annoying itch. They stay hydrated by drinking through a straw and eat puréed meals from a “toothpaste tube”. Their return to home base after mission completion could find weather conditions vastly different from when they launched. Then they must land the most demanding aircraft in the U.S. military inventory. It is imperative for these elite pilots to keep their airmanship skills sharp. The T-38A is the perfect companion trainer to hone those skills. With 1960s-era steam gauges, no heads-up display (HUD), and no FADEC engine controls, pilots must stay mentally ahead of their 400+ knot machine. Aerobatics, formation, instrument procedures and low-level flying are all basic skills that military aviators learn and the T-38A ensures that U-2 pilots maintain these skill sets.

Design Characteristics: The T-38 has a sleek, low-profile design that provides maximum efficiency for the twin J85-5A engines (2,900 lbs. of thrust in full afterburner). The short wings (25-foot span) almost look like an afterthought, but thanks to the long chord, provide adequate lift. The flight controls, landing gear, and speed brakes are hydraulically activated, while the flaps are electrically-driven. Fuel is housed in two fuselage tanks (300 gallons each). Emergency landing gear extension is accomplished by pulling a T-handle in the front cockpit, which releases uplocks and allows the gear to freefall down. The Northrop-designed ejection seats (T-38A) have no leg restraints or automated sequencing between the front and rear cockpits. Each pilot must individually eject, preferably with the aft crewmember ejecting first. The canopies can be manually jettisoned for ground egress; otherwise, they will automatically jettison at the start of the ejection sequence. The T-38C, used for USAF initial pilot training has Martin-Baker US-16T ejection seats which are auto-sequencing and self-righting. A ground “huffer” cart is required for starting both engines. Nosewheel steering is engaged by depressing and holding a button on the front of the stick.


Flight Characteristics: After lift-off, with the gear and flaps retracted, the Talon has very little frontal area. The twin afterburning J85s will accelerate it to 400+ knots by the end of the runway. Curl your toes, tighten your calves, thighs, quads, glutes and abs while sucking a half breath of air. Three … two … one … smoothly pull back on the stick and feel 4.5 Gs push you down in the seat. Set the climb attitude to 45-50 degrees nose high, and you will initially see a 15,000 fpm climb rate. Around 8,000 feet, roll into a 135˚ overbank turn and pull to your on-course heading. Roll wings level and set the nose at 7˚ above the horizon. Passing 10,000 feet, lower the nose slightly and accelerate to 350 KIAS and continue to climb.

Once established in the working area, my expert instructor and Deputy Commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Colonel “B.O.G.” Bartran (EAA# 1579428), ran me through the full gamut of Advanced Handling Characteristics (AHC). Before any maneuvers, we performed a G-warmup/exercise (4-G 90˚ turn, followed by 5-G 180˚ turn) to acclimate our bodies to sustained high-G maneuvers. Of course, the G-suit squeezing helps a little, but you’ll still “take a nap” without proper G-strain technique. First, aileron rolls demonstrate the head-snapping 720-degrees per second roll rate. Next, a series of loops gives a feel for energy management over the top (.6 AOA). An accelerated stall is executed by ensuring that we were below corner airspeed (<380 Knots) and pulling the stick all the way back. The jet will rumble and the nose will stop tracking across the horizon. Recover by releasing back-stick pressure. A stab-X maneuver demonstrates the longitudinal static stability inherent in the T-38’s design. The aircraft resists departing controlled flight, even at near vertical attitudes. Approach turn stalls in the landing configuration are practiced for two reasons: (1) It demonstrates how inattention to angle of bank and sink rate can lead to an unrecoverable situation in the traffic pattern, and (2) it increases proficiency in recovery procedure mechanics.


Landing: Returning to home field via an overhead maneuver is standard military fast jet procedure for a few reasons; it is expeditious, it allows the pilot to maintain visual with their traffic interval, and it keeps all traffic tight to the runway. Oh yeah … and it looks cool. From overhead the runway at 300 KIAS, roll into a 90˚ angle of bank and pull. Retard the throttles to idle and use G to decelerate and end up 1 to 1.3 miles wide on downwind. Speedbrakes can be used but are frowned upon by tactical pilots if you are leading other aircraft into the “break”, as wingmen can get jammed-up behind you. The belly-mounted speedbrakes on the Talon are only marginally effective at lower speeds anyway.

Once below 240 knots, place the landing gear handle down and lower the flaps to the first position (60%). When below 220 knots, you can lower the flaps to 100% down (60˚). Trim for on-speed angle of attack and cross check that the airspeed matches for the expected weight. The approach speed should be 155 knots with 1,000 lbs. of fuel remaining. Add one knot for every 100 lbs. above 1,000 lbs. of fuel remaining (e.g. 1,200 lbs. = 157 knots). After landing checks are complete, start the approach turn from the “perch” when you’re one mile past the numbers on downwind. Roll into a 45˚ angle of bank turn, allow the nose to drop and blend in enough backstick pressure to maintain on-speed AOA (green doughnut) with the indexer lights on top of the instrument panel. Approximately 85 to 90% rpm will be a good center point to maintain an appropriate rate of descent throughout the turn. Roll out at 300 feet on final with a 700 to 900 fpm rate of descent. Crack, shift, idle, flare. At 1,000 feet from the desired aimpoint, crack the throttles slightly back. Shift the approach angle slightly up in order to decrease the rate of descent. Pull both throttles to idle. Flare the jet and touchdown with approximately a 10˚ nose-high attitude. Hold this attitude and deploy the speedbrakes with the thumb switch on the throttles for maximum “aerobraking”. When the nose falls and the aircraft is less than 100 knots, you can gingerly apply the brakes (no anti-skid). Reinstall the canopy jettison pin and ejection seat pin while you taxi back for the shut down and debrief. Finally, open the canopy and smell the sweet sage of Northern California countryside.


Wrap-Up: 2024 marks 65 years of T-38 flying, with 48 years as the U-2’s companion trainer. A loyal companion to the end, the T-38A Talon will continue to serve alongside the legendary U-2 Dragon Lady until her last descent out of the Stratosphere. Both machines continue to serve their country well, although the men and women of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and 9th Operations Group are the true brawn and soul of our nation’s high altitude reconnaissance mission. Semper Paratus!


Stay tuned for a "Plane Impression" on the U-2 Dragon Lady next year!




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