2009 Articles

Goodbye Tweety Bird At the end of July 2009, the USAF quietly said goodbye to one of its longest serving types, the Cessna T-37 Tweet. Paul Dunn caught one of the final T-37 missions.

Produced in response to a USAF requirement for a light weight, two-seat basic trainer to introduce pilot cadets to jet aircraft, the Cessna T-37A first flew in 1954 and entered service in 1957. Broadly comparable to the British Jet Provost, the aircraft established a reputation as a reliable and economical training aircraft. Fitted with two small Continental-Teledyne J69-T-25 engines, the aircraft was renowned for its piercing, high pitched whine, earning it the nicknames “Tweet” or “Flying Bird Whistle” along with other, less complimentary names!

The initial T-37A aircraft were later upgraded to T-37B standard, and joined by further batches of new build T-37Bs, with the aircraft serving in its various forms for just over 50 years. Over that time, it is estimated that the Tweet introduced around 78,000 pilots to jet flying, allowing them to hone their flying skills before moving onto more advanced, higher performance aircraft such as the Northrop T-38 Talon.

With the USAF now receiving large numbers of Beechcraft T-6A Texan II turboprop trainers, the number of T-37s in service has been dwindling for some time. The last aircraft in service were operated by the 80th Flying Training Wing (FTW) at Sheppard AFB, Texas. The 80th FTW is home to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program, which provides flying training to student pilots from the air arms of most of the NATO Alliance nations. This program allows for a centralised location for flying training, reducing costs for the member nations and also providing better weather conditions for flying training than many European nations.

By the end of July 2009, only seven T-37s were left in service at ENJJPT, and these US and German owned aircraft were formally retired in a ceremony at Sheppard AFB. Following the retirement ceremony, the final aircraft departed Sheppard for two final destinations. Three aircraft are scheduled to be sent to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), with the remaining four destined for storage at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. A flight of three aircraft headed for UTTR made a brief transit stop at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport, en route to Utah.

The aircraft destined for AMARG will join a stored fleet of just under 400 aircraft. It is likely that this will be the final time the aircraft fly, however, the T-37 remains a popular aircraft for training throughout the world, particularly with developing nations. Recently, the Fuerza Aerea Colombiana (FAC) has acquired a number of T-37 aircraft from AMARG. These aircraft were flown from Davis Monthan AFB to Marana, AZ, where they were prepared for delivery to the FAC, joining a fleet which will eventually comprise 12 aircraft and be used for training pilots to fly the similar A-37 Dragonfly attack aircraft.

With most current USAF and many NATO pilots having their first taste of jet flying in the T-37, the aircraft occupies a unique place in the hearts of many aviators, including Brig. Gen. Jeffrey B. Kendall, deputy director of intelligence, operations and nuclear integration for flying training at Air Education and Training Command, who proudly recalls his first student flight in the T-37. Whilst the flight itself was a blur of excitement, the strongest memory for him was how he felt afterwards. "The one thing I do remember to this day is how wide my grin was as I proudly walked back into the life support area to drop off my parachute and helmet," General Kendall said. "The Tweet had firmly planted that silly (student pilot) smile on my face. I was truly hooked."

The replacement for the T-37 is the Beechcraft T-6A Texan II, a development of the Swiss designed Pilatus PC-9. This turbo-prop powered trainer is fitted with a digital “glass cockpit”, which will better prepare pilots for the advanced aircraft that they will fly in their careers than the venerable Tweet. General Donald J. Hoffman, commander of Air Force Material Command (and a former T-37 student himself) has no doubt that the T-6 will provide a worthy replacement. "The T-6 is a highly capable replacement for the venerable T-37," he said. "Some might think it unusual or a step backwards to replace a jet aircraft with a prop-driven one, but let me say that this is not your granddaddy's T-6. This primary flight trainer outperforms the over 50-year-old flying 'birdwhistle' in just about every area - except perhaps in noise generation!"

GAR acknowledges the assistance of the 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs Office in the preparation of this piece. GAR wants to interact with its readers so if you have a question for the author or a comment to make on this feature, please click on the button below. The best comments will appear right here on GAR.