Bush Flew Fighter Jets During Vietnam

Welcome back, Mary!

Mary Shafer wrote:
On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 08:24:07 -0600, Ed Rasimus
wrote:


On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 20:35:10 -0700, Mary Shafer
wrote:


On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 09:36:59 -0600, Ed Rasimus
wrote:


The T-38 has been a great airplane for 42 years of training and with
the upgraded glass cockpit looks like it will be active in SUPT for
another 20 years at least.

I have a friend who went from F-18s and SR-71s to T-38s (Bs, I think)

That doesn't track. Was he on USN exchange? Was he flying "company"
SR-71? If he was USAF it isn't likely that he would have been flying
either, but then how did he get to T-38s? The only "B" models are
AT-38s, which are only flown by the SUPT fighter-leadin squadron. The
NASA, ATC/UPT Talons are all "A" models.


Actually, he started flying helos in the USN, converted to F-4s, and
was sent to Dryden as Navy Liaison Officer. He left the USN and hired
on at Dryden, where he flew the F-8 DFBW, the B-52, the F-104, the
F-18, the F-18 HARV, and the SR-71. He was flying the last three
before he transferred to JSC to be a support pilot flying T-38s.

I don't know what model the JSC T-38s are. I thought they were Bs,
but I'm apparently wrong. We had one for a while, but we had to give
it back or I could have checked.


with conventional cockpits. He sure missed the HUD at first. I don't
think he realized how much difference it made to him. I could have
told him, though, because having a HUD greatly improves my piloting,
so think of what it does for a real pilot.

Did the SR-71 get a HUD? Dunno what there would be to see out the
window.


No need. You don't fly the SR-71 head-up but on the instruments. The
crews say they rarely even look out the window except during takeoff
and landing. The RSOs don't even do that.

I was referring to the F-18s and their HUDs. We have both research
F-18s and support F-18s, so the test pilots get most of their time in
them.

Mary