A T-54A multi-engine aircraft sits on the flight line of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on April 18. [Courtesy: U.S. Navy]
Key Takeaways:
The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of its first T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft, based on the Beechcraft King Air 260, to replace the outdated T-44C Pegasus fleet.
These new T-54As will be used at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to train future naval aviators for multi-engine and tilt-rotor fleet aircraft, featuring state-of-the-art avionics and virtual/augmented reality capabilities.
The advanced trainers are designed to provide essential flight and instrument training for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps, with an expected service life through 2055 and a potential acquisition of up to 64 aircraft.
The U.S. Navy has updated its training fleet by taking delivery of a pair of T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft based on the Beechcraft King Air 260 platform.
The aircraft will replace the T-44C Pegasus, an earlier version of a militarized King Air that has been in use since 1977. The T-44C is slated to be phased out over the next year.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
