Training the right stuff : the aircraft that produced America's jet pilots / Mark A. Frankel and Tommy H. Thomason ; with illustrations by Jack Morris.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-327) and index.
Contents:
Flight training before jets -- North American T-28 : the first modern trainer -- Beechcraft T-34 : the first modern primary trainer -- Initial transition to jets -- The Air Force all-jet training program -- Second generation jet trainers for the Navy -- Navy primary jet trainers -- Tactical trainers -- The supersonic trainer -- New trainer programs -- Civilian-owned trainers -- Appendix I: Learning to fly -- Appendix II: Trainer markings and paint schemes -- Glossary.
Summary:
"This is a comprehensive study of the training aircraft used to transition the United States military into the jet age. After assembling the greatest air armada in history in World War II, the United States faced the challenges of the Cold War. High-performance jets replaced propeller fighters, and a new generation of pilots was needed. But military planners, reluctant to scrap the existing inventory of trainers, insisted these pilots earn their wings in airplanes designed in the 1930s. The attrition rate among newly winged pilots, assigned to jets that often exceeded their abilities, was appalling. Finally, in 1949, a privately funded jet trainer, the T-33 was developed, followed by the T-28 in 1950, the T-34 in 1953, and T-37 in 1957. Gradually, pilot proficiency improved, but the cycle is recurring as new trainers and teaching techniques are needed to replace the aging aircraft and methods of the past."--Jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.