I posted this in a now locked thread. I'm reposting here to simply talk about learning to fly.
No religion.
No Politics.
No current events that attract the trolls...
You guys would be frightened to know that! I had very little time, less than most, right at the minimums (no repeated flights, no cancellations) for each phase of flight...and I am in the middle of transposing my USN Logbook into excel, so I can answer your question precisely.
The first airplane that I ever flew was the T-34C. Turbine, retractable gear, acrobatic.
Solo'd the T-34C at 14.4 hours, total time. Ever. And that's not pattern work, I flew out into our working area...
Next airplane: T-2C. Twin engine jet, acrobatic, carrier-capable.
Solo'd the T-2C at 94.8 hours total time. There was more to be done in the T-34C, formation, instruments, acrobatics, so I finished up with 67.9 T-34C hours. Flew it out to the MOA, did some acrobatics, came back to Meridian and practiced my landings.
Flew it solo aboard a carrier (The "Lady Lex") with 165.8 hours.
By then, I had flown it in air to air gunnery, acrobatics, on instruments, everything. Flying the hundred miles or so from Pensacola out to the Lex was a piece of cake. Landing it was a challenge, it was the first time I had ever seen a carrier.
Next airplane: TA-4J. Single engine jet, acrobatic, attack and carrier capable. First solo at 202.7 total time. Same as the T-2, out to the MOA, flew acrobatics, came back and practiced landings. Went on to fly formation, drop bombs, fire to 20mm guns, and land on a carrier. I would call the A-4 an awesomely capable single seater...while our TA models lacked the nuke capability, we could carry all sorts of bombs and had twin 20mm guns in the wing root. It would roll quickly, turn well, and was easily capable of flying over 500 KIAS at low level.
Next airplane: F-14A Tomcat. Twin engine, variable geometry, supersonic fighter. First flight was my first flight, no back seat flights, no dual-control models. Total time: 281.6 hours
I flew my first combat mission with 699.6 hours. By then, I was pretty comfortable in the jet, and my first mission was night launch, night recovery.
The real point, I think, is this: hours are not all the same. My hours were high-pressure, focused, and demanding. I was flying airplanes upside down before most civilians had even solo'd an airplane. I was landing a twin engine jet on a carrier, solo, before most folks ever flew a twin.
We washed a lot of guys out, and we had a few memorial services along the way, but the training really was outstanding.
No religion.
No Politics.
No current events that attract the trolls...
You guys would be frightened to know that! I had very little time, less than most, right at the minimums (no repeated flights, no cancellations) for each phase of flight...and I am in the middle of transposing my USN Logbook into excel, so I can answer your question precisely.
The first airplane that I ever flew was the T-34C. Turbine, retractable gear, acrobatic.
Solo'd the T-34C at 14.4 hours, total time. Ever. And that's not pattern work, I flew out into our working area...
Next airplane: T-2C. Twin engine jet, acrobatic, carrier-capable.
Solo'd the T-2C at 94.8 hours total time. There was more to be done in the T-34C, formation, instruments, acrobatics, so I finished up with 67.9 T-34C hours. Flew it out to the MOA, did some acrobatics, came back to Meridian and practiced my landings.
Flew it solo aboard a carrier (The "Lady Lex") with 165.8 hours.
By then, I had flown it in air to air gunnery, acrobatics, on instruments, everything. Flying the hundred miles or so from Pensacola out to the Lex was a piece of cake. Landing it was a challenge, it was the first time I had ever seen a carrier.
Next airplane: TA-4J. Single engine jet, acrobatic, attack and carrier capable. First solo at 202.7 total time. Same as the T-2, out to the MOA, flew acrobatics, came back and practiced landings. Went on to fly formation, drop bombs, fire to 20mm guns, and land on a carrier. I would call the A-4 an awesomely capable single seater...while our TA models lacked the nuke capability, we could carry all sorts of bombs and had twin 20mm guns in the wing root. It would roll quickly, turn well, and was easily capable of flying over 500 KIAS at low level.
Next airplane: F-14A Tomcat. Twin engine, variable geometry, supersonic fighter. First flight was my first flight, no back seat flights, no dual-control models. Total time: 281.6 hours
I flew my first combat mission with 699.6 hours. By then, I was pretty comfortable in the jet, and my first mission was night launch, night recovery.
The real point, I think, is this: hours are not all the same. My hours were high-pressure, focused, and demanding. I was flying airplanes upside down before most civilians had even solo'd an airplane. I was landing a twin engine jet on a carrier, solo, before most folks ever flew a twin.
We washed a lot of guys out, and we had a few memorial services along the way, but the training really was outstanding.
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