Wouldn't you like to have this in your Warbird Garage?

67Cougar · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:08 pm

Ross Perot Jr.'s Spirit of Alliance. NX385AF, seen on approach to Alliance A/P north of Ft. Worth recently.

Ztex · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:31 pm

Jr. was tearing up the field before the airshow last month...
:supz:

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 990

The Thunderbirds were flying T-38s when I first saw them at Dover AFB in 1978. I always thought it was one of the most attractive aircraft the team ever flew.

Chappie

Ken · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:17 pm

I also saw them in '78 when I was 10. I remember going up to the rope line to get at least one pilot autograph after the performance. Fast forward to 1998 when I'm a new 727 FE. We're in Dallas getting ready to fly out when a fairly senior pilot steps in, introduces himself, and asks to ride our jumpseat on the next leg. Boy his name sounds familiar. I ask, "Did you fly for the Thunderbirds?" "Sure did", he says, "Boy do you have a great memory." I proceeded to tell him the story but I think it made him feel more outdated than appreciated. We also spoke at length about what it was like to fly the T-38 in the show, as I had flown it in UPT and enjoyed comparing notes. Small world.

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:36 pm

I always like the T-38, and the T-birds scheme looks great on it. Ken what was his opinion of flying the T-38?

Lynn Allen · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:44 pm

Its parked in the same hangar next to 2 F-5's at Alliance that the Challenger I contract on is at. Along with the FAA's brand new King Air's with ProLine 21 panels...

K5DH · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:51 pm

One of the USAF T-38 pilots at this year's Alliance air show told me that Ross Jr's pilots train with the AF T-38 guys at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls. The AF pilot told me that at one point, Ross had FOUR flyable F-5s and the T-38, but the US government stepped in and told him that he could keep two but the other two had to go. It seems that owning four airworthy combat jets of US origin no longer counts as a collection, it counts as a private air force, and that's against the rules. . . gubmint bastards. . .

Ztex · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:09 pm

One of the F-5's. I was under the impression that they still belonged to Norway....is that not the case?

Hmmmm....wonder what the plans are? Nifty.

gary1954 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:21 pm

Ztex wrote:

One of the F-5's. I was under the impression that they still belonged to Norway....is that not the case?

Hmmmm....wonder what the plans are? Nifty.

probably will become a target Z, a frickin target :axe:

67Cougar · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:45 pm

From multiple sources, the two ex-Norwegian F-5Bs were bought to start a civilian F-5 training outfit at Alliance a few years ago. Supposedly to train third world F-5 operators. Heard that it fell through, and the two aircraft have been parked there ever since. Don't know if that's true or not, and don't know who actually owns them.

sdennison · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:50 pm

Sweet! Go Jr.!

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:40 am

k5dh wrote:

One of the USAF T-38 pilots at this year's Alliance air show told me that Ross Jr's pilots train with the AF T-38 guys at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls. The AF pilot told me that at one point, Ross had FOUR flyable F-5s and the T-38, but the US government stepped in and told him that he could keep two but the other two had to go. It seems that owning four airworthy combat jets of US origin no longer counts as a collection, it counts as a private air force, and that's against the rules. . . gubmint bastards. . .

Weird, since the Starfighters have multiple F-104's flying.

CraigBirkhold · **Joined:** Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:51 pm **Posts:** 64

I remember back in the early 1990's when John Dilley and his crew at Fort Wayne Air Service brought to the maintence hangar parts of a crashed F-5 and a T-38. Over a 2 to 3 year period I watched this aircraft get put together and the prevailing theme was to take the best from both aircraft to make it the fastest T-38 out there. After it was finished it was painted white with an orange stripe going down the side. It also had a painting of a bumble bee or wasp on the tail. A couple of USAF pilots flew it and they said that it was the hottest T-38 that they ever flew. It was later sold to Perot Jr. and repainted in the Thunderbird paint scheme. Does anybody have a picture of it when it was white with the orange stripe?

Speedy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:30 am

Chappie wrote:

The Thunderbirds were flying T-38s when I first saw them at Dover AFB in 1978. I always thought it was one of the most attractive aircraft the team ever flew.

Chappie

Don't take this the wrong way, but.......spoken as someone who never saw them in the Phantoms.

JohnB · **Posted:** Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:02 am

Speedy wrote:

Don't take this the wrong way, but.......spoken as someone who never saw them in the Phantoms.

Who let the kids in here?

Seriously, you make me feel ancient.
I still perfer them in the F-100s.

Speaking of T-38s, is the blue/grey camo T-38 still flying?
That was an epic rebuild in the 80s...built from a crashed plane bought at a surplus sale.

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