T-38 Talon low & tight over Cabelas | FerrariChat

T-38 Talon low & tight over Cabelas

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by rob lay, Jan 16, 2014.

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  1. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    #1 rob lay, Jan 16, 2014
    Cabelas Ft. Worth is other side of highway from Alliance Airport. I've seen some cool stuff doing tighter patterns while in parking lot of Cabelas. Today there was a T-38 (private?) doing very tight pattern work. He was doing hard pull ups end of runway and where I stood was 60+ degree banks tight & fast. Pretty awesome! Ross Perot Jr. has a T-38 he flies here, but it use to be Thunderbird pattern. He may have another one or someone else.

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O94cTMKZV18]T-38 Talon low & tight over Cabelas Ft. Worth - YouTube[/ame]
     
  2. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 Wade, Jan 17, 2014
    That's cool, I miss seeing high performance aircraft in the skies overhead.
     
  3. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 donv, Jan 17, 2014
    If it was white and blue, it could have been a NASA T-38.
     
  4. NürScud

    NürScud F1 Veteran

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    #4 NürScud, Jan 18, 2014
    Cool!
     
  5. Ryan S.

    Ryan S. Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 Ryan S., Jan 20, 2014
    Looks like a C model so Id say its Air Force. Looks a little gray as well. Seeing lots of gray ones at ellington lately stopping in to refuel. Nasa flys the older models I believe and they look a lot skinnier from below.
     
  6. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 tazandjan, Jan 21, 2014
    Looks like he was doing an overhead pattern, which is typically done at around 1500' plus or minus a bit. Fly over the runway at 250-350 KCAS or KIAS, pitch out to 60-70 degrees of bank and 2-4 g to downwind. Configure the aircraft while on downwind, and then a 180 degree turn for a visual approach. Practiced because in wartime you can check the condition of the runway before you pitch out. Easy to recover a formation that way, too, because the other aircraft in the formation extend, typically 5 seconds, before pitching out to get proper spacing.
     
  7. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    #7 rob lay, Jan 21, 2014
    I have never done a true initial like military, but ALL the RV guys at our airport do them. :D this T-38 was just staying in the pattern, this was about his 10th one. Most were touch and goes, a few were 20 foot on the deck burners and then pull up and around like chandelle? He honestly wasn't flying with military precision and structure. He was really really good, but VERY aggressive and kinda loose with patterns and what he did. Alliance airport is great for this type of fun even in pistons. I think the landings help the control tower numbers and as pretty inactive airport the controllers enjoy the action. I like to play with them too, they will do pattern drills trying to trip you up, low approaches, early break offs buzzing tower, 180 engine out practice landings etc. air guard and maybe other military can be found using the airport, so can't rule that out. I just suspect private T-38 because of Ross Perot Jr. and his private T-38 specialists located on field.
     
  8. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #8 tazandjan, Jan 21, 2014
    Rob- The other pattern you were seeing from a low approach or touch and go is a closed pattern. Pitch up and roll to downwind at the same altitude as an overhead approach. Then the same configure on downwind and 180 degrees to final. What you were seeing could have been an instrument check for someone out of Sheppard AFB at Wichita Falls, TX. Those require going to a field other than home station for approaches.
     
  9. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    #9 rob lay, Jan 21, 2014
    That makes sense, good short distance for a T-38 from Shepard. I will see a bunch of Hornets there too, but usually just parked, they never do pattern work, just the initial breakoff.
     
  10. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #10 tazandjan, Jan 21, 2014
    Rob- Those guys are probably cross country and TX makes a good stopping point going from either coast. Are there pretty girls working in the cafe or refueling the jets like Tulsa Turn-Around in the olden days?
     
  11. rob lay

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    #11 rob lay, Jan 21, 2014
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    LOL, I think the Alliance FBO is probably top notch for quality with Ross Perot Jr. behind it. I never stop in there, my airport is 5nm away. I just transition their space and sometimes play around. My solo was there and the tower gave me a certificate.

    I found one of my old transition pics with cool stuff on ramp. Looks like 2 Hornets and 2 Talons painted like one in video. Zoomed in best I could.
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  12. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #12 tazandjan, Jan 21, 2014
    Rob- In the refueling door is a government credit card much like the one we keep in our wallet. So unless the location is on the verboten list for too high prices on Jet-A, very similar to JP8, all is OK if the runway and taxiways can support the aircraft. Some units have restrictions that cross country airfields must have barriers (cables), but that does not affect T-38s with no hook.
     
  13. TimN88

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    #13 TimN88, Mar 23, 2014
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    Those planes were most likely on a cross country as Tazandjan said. When I was there it seemed like everyone from Laughlin, Vance and Sheppard goes to AFW on their cross countries. We showed up with four T-6's, and there were over a dozen 38's and at least half a dozen T-6's there already. Might as well start calling it Alliance Air Force Base on the weekends. Not sure why they would be pulling closed though, since if they were on a student XC it makes more sense to shoot instrument approaches.
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