FastCargo 412 Posted October 31, 2007 Any guesses? :) FastCargo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bravo2009 2 Posted October 31, 2007 Did you get an incentive ride for a promotion or Airman of the Year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FastCargo 412 Posted October 31, 2007 Did you get an incentive ride for a promotion or Airman of the Year? Airman of the Year? Only if the USAF has exhausted all other options... Nice guess though. FastCargo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tn_prvteye 36 Posted October 31, 2007 Dissimilar Formation training? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Typhoid 231 Posted October 31, 2007 a historic aircraft flyover formation? not to mention - "Fox two on the Mig-38!!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MiGMasher 0 Posted October 31, 2007 (edited) Is it an AETC PR Photo or flight demo? Edited October 31, 2007 by MiGMasher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 31, 2007 The only known instance of a T-6 catching a T-38 in the air? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Major Lee 18 Posted October 31, 2007 Wake turbulence testing? Look at the attitudes of the planes... Might be getting rough in proximity to the large aircraft... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FastCargo 412 Posted October 31, 2007 Okay, how about this: FastCargo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bucklehead101 29 Posted October 31, 2007 they all have the same tailcode! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viggen 644 Posted October 31, 2007 A formation of the three aircraft used by the USAF training at Maxwell AFB? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Typhoid 231 Posted October 31, 2007 A formation of the three aircraft used by the USAF training at Maxwell AFB? change of command flyover? (the T-6 guys are peddaling as fast as they can!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viggen 644 Posted October 31, 2007 It is this unit I presume: 12th Flying Training Wing. And either a random flyover or change of command at Randolph AFB? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eraser_tr 29 Posted November 1, 2007 They're re-enacting that FSX video that was linked here in real life? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MiGMasher 0 Posted November 1, 2007 I'm in Dirty mind mode...it looks like... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FastCargo 412 Posted November 1, 2007 Alright, alright before this thread gets TOO wierd...here's what it is (from another viewpoint and a few years ago): It's called the AETC Composite Flyby. It's done at Randolph AFB (the 12th Flying Training Wing) and is usually done for POW/MIA, Freedom Flyer, and for the local airshow either at Lackland or Randolph AFB (which is this weekend for all you local TX boys). It consists of 2x T-6 Texan IIs, 2x T-38Cs, 1x T-1A Jayhawk, and 1x T-43 (the 737 you see in the picture). It used to be 6 different aircraft, not 4. The older picture you see has a T-37 as well, plus a AT-38B in place of one of the T-38Cs. However, the T-37 is gone, and the T-38s are now all C models. But the IFF squadrons paint theirs in a different scheme (what you see in the picture) than what mine are painted. The first 2 pictures from the thread are the perspective of the person in the back seat of the right hand T-38C. The first picture shows 'route' or a 'relaxed' formation, the second shows the closer 'fingertip' formation used for the flyby. What was going on was that it was a practice for the flyby that is this weekend. Also, several people in the formation were getting 'qualified' to fly it. I was checking out the guy in the front seat...you can't fly the formation unless you are either a) checked out in it or b) with a person who is checked out in it. The situation was though is that we had great pictures for the front seater in the T-38 to use as references on the T-43. However, there were no pictures of the back seat references. So I got permission from the OG to take a camera onboard to take some pictures for the back seater to use as references. Things like 'put the right hand position light on the emergency exit window' makes a good fore/aft up/down reference. Things like this are important because everyone needs to be on the same page so the formation looks good. As an example, the T-6 you see there (the second picture in the thread) even in the 'fingertip' position seems aft. This was confirmed by our ground observer on the first pass. This is where the T-6 guys get together to make sure both crews are looking at the exact same references. So even if both are out of position, it still looks symmetrical. Also, for you aero guys, it's a nice contrasting picture to show the differences of AOA at a specific airspeed for 2 very different aircraft. The T-1 and T-43 have a wide range of airspeed due to their swept wings and large camber. However, the T-6 is straight winged, and has a large prop. From what I've been told by those guys, the T-6 is prop limited. It'll run up to 250 kts, then hits a wall. But it's got power to spare below that...in fact, the T-6 demo team can do a 'snowman' (a double loop in the vertical)...which the old jet powered T-37 couldn't even attempt! The T-38 on the other hand is swept, but has no camber to speak of, no LERX, not even leading edge slats. Almost all it's lift is based on pure AOA, and that's evident at anything below 300 knots. Anything less than about 210 knots is uncomfortable without flaps...but even above that, the nose won't track at all if you reef on the stick to the stops...it'll pretty much just do a 'mini-cobra' and then fall out of the sky because you just blew 50 knots in 2 seconds if you don't back off the pull. Anyway, those shots were at 230 KIAS...so you can see the T-6 is pedaling as fast as he can...while the T-38 is hanging on the blades... Fun stuff. Not as fun as other stuff I've done...but hey, it's different from trying to teach a student to land this thing for the umpteenth time... FastCargo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
