On their way to the boneyard...

[retroaviation]

While working on the B-24 earlier today, four Air Force pilots were walking through the hangar to check out the real airplanes.

We got to chatting and they told us that they were on their way to the boneyard with four T-37's. They invited me out to take a look at 'em (after discussing with them my hatred for scrapping airplanes). I took them up on their offer and here's the pictures from it........


















It was really sad to know that these airplanes were all but finished flying. Each one even had what they called a "Boneyard Kit" that contained every written record of the airplane since it was produced, along with every x-ray from the NDT inspections over it's lifespan. Really sad to see these eventually get scrapped.

Gary

[Fouga23]

The Tweet is so powerfull even Chuck Norris can't handle them! God, I want one of those Sad to see them go to the boneyard

[Robbie Stuart]

Just darn! To bad they don't forget and leave one behind with you. You do look like a "cool guy" sitting in there.
Robbie

Last edited by Robbie Stuart on Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[daveymac82c]

Can't those airplanes be auctioned off to museums like what the Canadian Military does. Strip'em of their engines and any other "cool" stuff and then give them to good homes.

I don't think there's a museum out there that wouldn't want one.

Jeez.... sad....

Cheers,

David

[oscardeuce]

"Tweet Rage"
What control, none of them barfed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7416B8yUa5Q

Take that Tomcat, you got a Tweet on your 6!

IMHO they should be released to museums to FLY!

[Shay]

Viper(aka Gary) : Good morning, gentlemen, the temperature is 110 degrees.

Wolfman: Holy shit, it's Viper!

Goose: Viper's up here, great... oh shit...

Maverick: Great, he's probably saying, "Holy shit, it's Maverick and Goose."

Goose: Yeah, I'm sure he's saying that.



Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[oscardeuce]

Viper(aka Gary) : Good morning, gentlemen, the temperature is 110 degrees.

Wolfman: Holy sugar, it's Viper!

Goose: Viper's up here, great... oh sugar...

Maverick: Great, he's probably saying, "Holy sugar, it's Maverick and Goose, IN A TWEET!"

Goose: Yeah, I'm sure he's saying that.


"We're too close for guns, switching to TWEET"

After Gary snuck in a few modifications:





Some interesting discussion from Tweet pilots

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/ind ... 100999&hl=

[retroaviation]

Wasn't trying to look cool (although I was cold) Was just freezing my 'nads off and wanting him to hurry up and take the picture!

Gary

[crystal lakes]

Gary
We have the big brother to the tweet. A-37B dragonfly. It is a whole lot of fun to fly in. Jim calls it his 6000 HP bonanza. It burns about 300 gallons per hour.
Mike

[retroaviation]

Gary
We have the big brother to the tweet. A-37B dragonfly. It is a whole lot of fun to fly in. Jim calls it his 6000 HP bonanza. It burns about 300 gallons per hour.
Mike

Yeah, I remember Nelson telling me about it when he and one of the lucky guys from the shop got to go up and visit y'all's place when we were building the Seafire. He seemed pretty impressed by it when he got to go for a flight.

Gary

[Consul]

Here's a Tweety that I shot from a C-117 in a session over Florida - sadly the following year (91) it crashed and was destroyed after an mid-air with an A-26. It was a beautiful little aircraft and a sad loss of life. I live in England and the type is a real rarity over here, though the Portuguese have operated the type there's no civilian examples operating in Europe.

[T33driver]

Those T-37s are from Columbus AFB, MS where I went to pilot training June 1991-June 1992 so I checked my logbook. I flew tail #2254 on Sept 13, 1991 on a dual "contact"sortie C2603 with Instructor Pilot (IP) Lt DeKalb, grade--passed (every sortie except solos were graded). My IP Lt DeKalb was a laid-back sort, soft-spoken, tobacco chewin' cool cat--very competent instructor and a good guy which made for a great learning environment. "Contact" flying consisted of VFR traffic pattern work, aerobatics, stalls, slow flight etc. Sure was a fun little airplane--be really fun to have one in the hangar. The piercing whine of those J-69 engines was music to my ears but probably like audio kryptonite to a superman-piston pilot like Bill Greenwood.

[King]

Closest I have got to flying a real tweet was in the sims at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio. Had a VIP invite to tour the base and fly the tweet sims and had a great time.

They were setting up the T-6A sims at the time and I kept trying to get a shot at those, but they did not have them up and running yet. I have about 30 hours in the back seat of the Pilatus PC-7 (little brother of the T-6A) performing STC flight testing for an engine upgrade we did. I tell you what, that airplane has some performance when you go from a PT6A-25A (550 shp) to a PT6A-25C (750 shp).

[tom d. friedman]

what a shame.... the next time you touch them they will be your new refrigerator or dryer. sad... the govt just doesn't have the time to have historical foresight.

Last edited by tom d. friedman on Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[hsperdue]

Those T-37s are from Columbus AFB, MS where I went to pilot training June 1991-June 1992 so I checked my logbook. I flew tail #2254 on Sept 13, 1991 on a dual "contact"sortie C2603 with Instructor Pilot (IP) Lt DeKalb, grade--passed (every sortie except solos were graded). My IP Lt DeKalb was a laid-back sort, soft-spoken, tobacco chewin' cool cat--very competent instructor and a good guy which made for a great learning environment. "Contact" flying consisted of VFR traffic pattern work, aerobatics, stalls, slow flight etc. Sure was a fun little airplane--be really fun to have one in the hangar. The piercing whine of those J-69 engines was music to my ears but probably like audio kryptonite to a superman-piston pilot like Bill Greenwood.

Speaking of solos in the Tweet... nothign was more fun in UPT than a solo to the area with puffy clouds around 10k.... what a hoot... any Tweet driver worth his salt has done a Clover-Dive or two<g>....