Boeing T-43
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| T-43 | |
|---|---|
 Boeing T-43A of the USAF 562nd Flying Training Squadron |
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| Type | Military training and transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Introduced | September 1973[1] |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 19 |
| Unit cost | $5,390,000[1] |
| Developed from | Boeing 737 |
The T-43A is a modified Boeing 737-200 used by the U.S. Air Force. Delivered during 1973 and 1974, the primary mission of the T-43 is as a flying classroom for USAF Undergraduate Navigator/Combat Systems Officer training (with the exception of those USAF Navs/CSOs slated for the F-15E and B-1B) and advanced interservice NAV pipeline training for Student Naval Flight Officers slated for eventual assignment to land-based naval aircraft. The T-43A has stations onboard for twelve navigator students, six navigator instructors, as well as a pilot and co-pilot.
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[edit] Overview
Externally the T-43 differs from the civilian aircraft by having more antennas and fewer windows. The student training compartment is equipped with advanced avionics gear identical to that of Air Force operational aircraft. This includes mapping radar; VOR (VHF omnirange) and TACAN (tactical air navigation) radio systems; inertial navigation system; radar altimeter; and all required communications equipment. Five periscopic sextant stations spaced along the length of the training compartment are used for celestial navigation training. However, with the advent of GPS, student navigators are no longer taught celestial navigation.
The aircraft has considerably more training capability than the plane it replaced, the T-29C. Inside each T-43A training compartment are two minimum proficiency, two maximum proficiency and 12 student stations. Two stations form a console, and instructors can move their seats to the consoles and sit beside students for individual instruction. The large cabin allows easy access to seating and storage, yet reduces the distance between student stations and instructor positions. The aircraft dedicated to flight were initially assigned to the 323rd Flying Training Wing (ATC) at Mather AFB, CA, plus two additional aircraft assigned to the Colorado Air National Guard to support introductory flight training for cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. When the 323 FTW was inactivated and Mather AFB closed by BRAC action in the early 1990s, most of the T-43s were transferred to the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph AFB, TX, with the 12 FTW assuming the navigator training role.
Twelve aircraft of the nineteen originally ordered are still in service for the Air Force in their original role, based at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and operated originally by the 558th Flying Training Squadron and since 1996 by the 562nd Flying Training Squadron. Two other aircraft are used for similar purposes by the Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley AFB, CO in support of cadet flight training at the United States Air Force Academy.. In addition, several T-43A were later modified to a transport aircraft configuration classified CT-43A, suhc as one previously operateed by the 6th Air Mobility Wing in support of United States Southern Command for commander transport in Central and South America. One CT-43A assigned in support of United States European Command crashed in 1996 while carrying the then-U.S. Secreatry of Commerce. At least five converted CT-43A airframes comprise part of the fleet used on Janet flights from Las Vegas to the Nellis AFB Tonopah Test Range, also known as Area 51.[2]
[edit] Incident
Main article: 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash
On April 3, 1996, an Air Force CT-43 carrying United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and 34 other people, including The New York Times Frankfurt Bureau chief Nathaniel C. Nash, crashed in Croatia.
[edit] Specifications (T-43A)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 19
- Length: 100 ft (30.3 m)
- Wingspan: 93 ft (28.2 m)
- Height: 37 ft (11.2 m)
- Wing area: 980 ft² (91.0 m²)
- Empty weight: 64,090 lb (29,071 kg)
- Loaded weight: 115,000 lb (53,300 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A turbofan, 14,500 lbf (64 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 562 mph (904 km/h)
- Range: 3,000 miles (4,830 km)
- Service ceiling 37,000 ft (11,200 m)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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