Posted on 09/13/2006 5:03:37 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
Many of the old M38a1s did make it through to the public. The ones that were verboten to reach us were the M151s. They had a 4 wheel independent suspention that was a dream off road and was gave a very comfortable ride but only the gama-goat was a bigger death trap. The only ones that have made it to civilian hands were the ones that were cut into four parts with a cutting torch and then welded back together by the civilian buyer.
Yeah, Give me one, Ill take it off yer hands fer nuthin.
The whole T-3A program was a waste from the beginning. The program exists for a good reason -- to screen potential officers and see who might be pilot material (and who had better be assigned to fly a desk). They used to do it in Cessna 172s, a popular trainer. (Actually, a version of the 172 with only two seats and a slightly more powerful engine). The 172 is still in production, but the USAF wanted something more "high speed, low drag," especially for their pampered Academy kiddies.
A committee of Air Force officers got the idea that it would be better to have a plane that was more like a modern fighter. So they found this British company that made a trainer with a nice bubble canopy... and then began forcing the doubtful Britons to add more and more to it. Twice the power; a big heavy engine; beef it up for more Gs and more weight.
The result was, not surprizingly, an airplane designed by committee. And with that big, powerful (and heavy) engine way out in the nose, it had ugly spin characteristics, unlike the nimble, glider-derived trainer it descended from.
Finally, the combination of these planes, that the pilots who flew them daily feared for good reason, and the occasional young instructor pilot who had a personal grant of immortality in his pocket, was a bad one and they established that the only effective way to recover from a spin gone flat was to hit the ground... which stops the spin, of course, but also kills the passengers in the plane.
For passengers is what they were once the spin developed and flattened. Passengers on the express elevator to hell.
After the first crash and the second the planes were grounded for a while and the recriminations began. After the third crash the USAF parked the planes and the recriminations went into high gear. I mean, these crashes weren't killing just anybody, but the Academy anointed -- that's serious business.
Those responsible -- all of them blue-suit Air Force officers -- successfully dodged blame, and the poor Brits who didn't want to build the plane like this but were told, "Shut up, we know what we're doing," were on the receiving end of most of the finger pointing.
The bozosity now set climb pitch and METO power. They just lined the planes up on a ramp... didn't cover them... didn't oil or ever inspect them... while they debated for years over what to do with them. Air Force lawyers (you know, military lawyers, the same traitors that brought you 200 Taliban standing in a formation giving a Predator the finger) insisted that the liability was too great to sell these airplanes or even the parts for them. Meanwhile, it became a moot point as the sun, the elements, birds and rodents, and especially corrosion went to work on the carelessly abandoned planes.
Had they removed and pickled the engines alone, they are worth $25-35k each. Each plane has over $30,000 in instruments and radios, on the salvage market. These components also are supposed to be destroyed.
The lawyers who pull Air Force commanders' strings these days feel good about it. After all, it's not their money -- you taxpaying chump.
With characteristic foresight he USAF isn't even keeping one for the museum. They don't want to be reminded of a screw-up this colossal. (Which just about guarantees that they will do it again).
At least one Academy cadet has died in a crash in the new, revised program using civilian planes and instructors. Her instructor flew into a powerline while making a show-off job out of a routine demo flight. What was he doing that low? He died instantly, so he can't tell us. She, on the other hand, took a week to die in indescribable agony.
Like every large organisation, including the other services, the Air Force has many extremely capable people, a few thundering dunderheads, and no institutional ability to tell the two apart. This may be an extreme and easily grasped example of the waste that happens, but it's only one example.
The real amazing thing is that as messed up as the military may be, it's still the most efficient of government agencies. I mean, nobody even reports waste like this at Education or Health and Human Services because everyone understands that every dollar spent on them is wasted. When the military does it, it's news.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
In other words, three crashes due to pilot (that would be the instructor pilot) error, one of which the IP was a general's kid or something.
The predecessor T-41 had no fatal accidents in 30 years of flight, although the T-41 was incapable of performing the aerobatics and spins that were the hallmark of the T-3.
Of course, aerobatics and spins are not a necessary part of primary flight training. And the T-41 may have been placarded against spins (anybody remember?), but it can perform them to any number of rotations and recover with normal anti-spin control inputs. It was placarded against aerobatics, but I doubt that there was one in the fleet that was never looped and rolled.
By the way, they sold the T-41s and actually got more than they paid for them!
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
I fly this plane and it's a lot of fun, I do tho', like others here, hate to see the T-3's simply scrapped. What a waste!!
I think the Acadamy budget ought to be cut by 32 million... plus a 10 million penalty for AF stupidity.
Government at it's best....LOL...Whatta waste.
Nope. I just receoved photos of the destruction. A big off-road forklift grabs it under the wings, and takes it to a place behind a fence where an equipment operator smashes it with a backhoe.
The engines, instruments and radios are not removed, but are smashed in place.
Spare instruments and engines (a new engine is $48k) are being destroyed as well. I'm told the engines are "demilled" with a welding torch before going to get the the backhoe treatment, to make sure that none of the parts are recoverable.
The military is a mighty and noble thing, but sometimes it's mighty in its ignoble idiocy.
If the people in Congress were doing their oversight job, instead of greasing lobbyists and lining their own pockets, there'd be about a two year hold on AF general officer nominations to get some attention over there in the Pentagon. But that won't happen: note the "If".
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
What I don't understand is: Why?
It's not like these are super secret parts or anything. So they screwed up with their design by committee airplane, why the malicious destruction and total disregard of taxpayer monies?
Yea, grounding some AF general promotions would be a start. But they should also make the AF pay back the taxpayers.
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