Lessons From The T-38

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 01:03 PM ET

Verified

To the left, two NASA T-38 Talons are shown in formation flight near Edwards AFB. At right, the image depicts two T-38s as they appeared in the original Top Gun film.

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must actively combat perceptual illusions (like those caused by runway width) and maintain robust situational awareness, cross-referencing instruments with external cues to avoid getting "behind the aircraft."
Emergencies can induce freezing in inexperienced pilots and lead to errors in judgment by instructors under stress or fear, underscoring the importance of rigorous training and composed decision-making.
Clear and positive communication, particularly during the transfer of aircraft controls, is essential to prevent confusion and ensure continuous, unambiguous command.

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Long ago and far away, I was an instructor pilot (IP) on the U.S. Air Force/Northrop T-38 Talon, a supersonic trainer that first went into service in 1961. I was based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas. Today, the T-38 remains in service with the USAF, as well as with NASA.

One of its nicknames is “The White Rocket”: You start the takeoff roll in full afterburner, raise the nose off the runway at 130 knots, let it fly itself off the concrete at 160 knots, raise the gear and flaps, allow the airspeed to hit 300 knots, and raise the nose to whatever attitude holds 300 knots. Might be 17 degrees nose-up. After pulling back the throttles to military power to save gas, you climbed to FL240 in about a minute—the darn thing will climb at 30,000 fpm—the altimeter just spins. Its performance is one reason the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team used it, and it was in the original Top Gun movie, with a red star on the tail, masquerading as a Soviet “MiG.”