Sharing a Harrowing T-38 Talon Training Tale

Air Force veteran recalls past T-38 experience with emergency during solo flight.

David Haulman

Friday, March 06, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The T-38 Talon was an aircraft ahead of its time. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Air Force pilot training was extremely demanding, featuring high washout rates even during wartime and utilizing advanced aircraft like the challenging, supersonic T-38 Talon.
The author recounts a significant in-flight emergency during his third solo T-38 flight, where he experienced complete radio failure while performing aerobatics.
Despite successfully navigating the emergency by following lost communication procedures and landing safely, the author's perceived heroism was met with an unceremonious interrogation rather than commendation from superiors.

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Pilot training in the U.S. Air Force has always been extremely demanding. Despite extensive preliminary screening, a high washout rate is typical. One out of three students washed out of my class even though the air war in Vietnam was reaching its peak and pilots were in demand.

In those days, everyone went through an identical one-year program to earn their wings—two months flying the propeller-driven T-41 (Cessna 172), four months in the T-37 primary jet, and six months in the supersonic T-38 Talon. A typical training day included five hours on the flight line, four hours of academics, and an hour of physical training. One week we’d report to the flight line before dawn and attend academic classes in the afternoon, while the next week academics began the day and we’d fly late. Our training was at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Alabama.