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The last T-1A Jayhawk
The last T-1A Jayhawk in the 86th Flying Training Squadron recently made its final departure from Laughlin Air Force Base‘s Team XL.
“The T-1A is an excellent plane, it prepared pilots for the next plane they would be moving on to,” said Capt. Nickolas Johnson, 86th FTS chief of operations. “It gives pilots the opportunity to train on crew resource management, which is what they will do on the heavier aircraft.”
As told by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen, 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs, in the article Flying the Jayhawk into the sunset, in its last full year of service, the T-1A flew over 15,000 hours at Laughlin AFB, ensuring pilots proficiency in long range navigation.
Laughlin AFB held multiple sendoff events for aviators and Laughlin AFB personnel to commemorate the memories and legacy of the aircraft.
For the celebration, the 86th FTS invited retired Col. James Muniz, a former 86th FTS instructor pilot to be the guest speaker. Muniz started his career at Laughlin in 1999 and returned from 2005 to 2008 as an IP and chief of training.
“The T-1A is a great training platform,” Muniz said. “However, it is only that, a tool used by professionals to teach and pass on their trade and knowledge. For 30 years, the mission was accomplished professionally and safely. I think that is a testament to all our support folks, from maintenance to HARM [host aviation resource management] and SARM [squadron aviation resource management] to life support professionals doing their part, so IPs and students could do theirs.”
A final goodbye
Airmen participated in flight simulators, where civilian instructors facilitated simulated flying of the T-1A, and signed their names on the exterior of the jet before its final takeoff.
As a final goodbye, the last T-1A to leave Laughlin AFB participated in a five-plane flyover consisting of two T-6A Texan IIs, two T-38C Talons, and the final T-1A, tail number 346, the First Assignment Instructor Pilot heritage tail.
The aircraft made two passes over the air traffic control tower and airfield, ending with the T-6As and T-38Cs splitting off and the T-1A flying alone before continuing its final journey to “The Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
The 47th Flying Training Wing will continue its mission of producing the best pilots in the world using the T-6A and the T-38C until the T-7A Redhawk reaches operational status.
T-1A Jayhawk
The T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft. It is also used to support navigator training for the US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and international services.
The swept-wing T-1A is a military version of the Beech 400A. It has cockpit seating for an instructor and two students and is powered by twin turbofan engines capable of an operating speed of 538 mph. The T-1A differs from its commercial counterpart with structural enhancements that provide for increased bird strike resistance and an additional fuselage fuel tank.
The first T-1A was delivered to Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in January 1992, and student training began in 1993.
Starting in 1993, undergraduate pilots who have graduated from their primary aircraft have proceeded to specialized training tailored for their follow-on assignments. The T-1A is used in advanced training for students identified to go into airlift or tanker aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster III, the C-5 Galaxy, and the KC-135 Stratotanker. Those selected for bombers and fighters receive their advanced in the T-38.
The T-1A is used at Columbus AFB, Miss., Laughlin AFB, Texas, and Vance AFB, Okla. It is also used at Randolph AFB, Texas, to train instructor pilots and at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., for combat systems officer training.
47th Flying Training Wing
The 47th Flying Training Wing has been active at Laughlin Air Force Base since September 1, 1972. In the nearly fifty years that it has been operating at Laughlin, the 47th Flying Training Wing has trained more than 15,000 pilots for the United States and its allies, and has seen many bright and dedicated Airmen come and go through its gates.
At Laughlin, the wing supported the Accelerated Co-Pilot Enrichment Program at numerous locations from 1976 to 1986, and began Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) in November 1993. The wing added airlifter-tanker track pilot training in 1994.
The wing’s mission since 1972 has been to train pilots for the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and allied nation air forces. Today the wing utilizes the T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon aircraft to perform this mission, while striving, every day, to build combat-ready Airmen, leaders, and pilots.
Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen / U.S. Air Force
