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When a Tweet Turns Into a Smokin’ Hot Jet

Yes, engines do smoke…

[Credit: Joel Kimmel]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A U.S. Air Force pilot trainee experienced a significant engine malfunction, evidenced by a thick plume of smoke, during his second solo taxi in a T-37 "Tweet" jet.
  • Initially dismissing a casual warning from a trainee air traffic controller, the pilot was alerted to the severity by a more authoritative voice and a fellow instructor, prompting him to declare an emergency and shut down his aircraft.
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Seven Days after my first solo in the iconic T-37 while in U.S. Air Force pilot training at Williams AFB in Chandler, Arizona, I found myself strapping in for my second solo flight. To be sure, I was excited. The T-37, “Tweet” as it was affectionately called, was a small twin engine jet trainer that’d been in the USAF inventory since the late fifties. Maybe when it was brand-spanking new, the crews that flew it were awestruck. But by the time I began training in that little sucker in the early ‘80s, it was kicked around as the ugly sibling to the more beautiful and much better-performing T-38 Talon.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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Roger Johnson

Roger Johnson was a former banner-tow pilot, USAF F-4 Fighter Weapons School instructor pilot, and is a senior airline captain. He has published three aviation books.

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