reloder

I suppose that includes me...T-41/T-37, and T-38 at Moody, 1967. Leaving aside the issue of airframe age, would not this type of pilot training meet the needs of today's aircraft and mission types?

What is GUPT?

Seems like a reasonable question. If anyone is familiar with today's personnel procedures, why not give him an informed and courteous answer?

Nope, they appear not to...but think they do more so than anyone else. Or maybe I'm just remembering how we were.

T-6? No, I'm old. IP in tandem a/c: F-4, F-104. IP in side by side a/c: T-37, B-727, DC-9, MD-80, ERJ-170. IP in separate a/c: A-10. Neat fact. The prototype B-52 had a tandem seating set-up, like the B-47. Curtis Lemay thought differently and told Boeing to redo the cockpit to a side by side arrangement.

Is there such a thing as T-37 style initial jet training? I realize that this debate is over, but I remain of the opinion that side-by-side seating was a better teaching environment for this segment of pilot training.

In my new hire airline class, I was next to oldest with about 4400 hours total. There were a number of young guys in their mid-20s who commented that my total time was pretty low for such an old coot (44 at the time). I just smiled and passed on the question but I would have liked to explain to them that there is a difference between experience and repetition. Flying boxes and checks from point A to B isn't quite the same as a 35 minute air-to-air sortie in a F-104 where 5 minutes in taxi time was included or an F-4 range sortie with 3 strafe, 6 bomb, and 3 more rocket events.

Google has pictures of the left main gear area that appear to show flaps and slats extended.

What's a Friday shirt?

Sadly, too true.

I miss the good old days when we obsessed over black socks and grass in the sidewalk cracks.

All of this seems so unnecessary. What was wrong with the old T-41/T-37/T-38 way of doing things?

Sure...that and a 3 ER is promotable.

Sorry, don't know what that is either. Just an OFP who can't keep up with all the current lingo.

I have followed this discussion with considerable interest. I was a T-37 IP at Laredo, 1969-72. Then on to fighters and then the airlines. IP in F-4, F-104, A-10, B-727, DC-9, MD-80, and EMB-170. Too bad we can't restart the 37 and 38 production lines and return to a time when things for the most part seemed to get done.