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The T-37 Retires by Curt Jans
The Cessna T-37 Tweet was an integral part of United States Air Force (USAF) primary pilot training for over fifty years, but as the English proverb states, “All good things must come to an end.” Supplanted by the T-6A Texan II with its modern avionics and efficient turboprop engine, the Tweet officially retired on July 31st, 2009 at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
A Brief History
Intended as an intermediate training platform between primary prop trainers and more advanced jet trainers such as the T-38 Talon, the Tweet was Cessna’s first jet aircraft design. The prototype XT-37, or Cessna Model 318, first flew in 1954. The prototype crashed during spin tests, and as the result, the production model T-37A was redesigned with a larger fuselage, a larger vertical tail, and spin strakes along each side of the nose.
The T-37A entered service with the USAF in 1956. With two J69-T-9 engines in the wing roots providing 920 pounds of thrust each, the T-37A was a capable of aerobatics but was considered underpowered. In 1959, Cessna started delivery of the T-37B which featured upgraded avionics and more powerful J69-T-25 engines that produced 1,025 pounds of thrust each. All USAF A-models were upgraded to B-models, and the B-model became the standard Tweet that remained in the USAF inventory until this year. When production finished in 1975, 1,359 Tweets (534 A-models, 552 B-models, and 273 C-models) had been built.
The Tweet featured a side-by-side cockpit, which allowed for close interaction between the instructor and student pilots. Short and squat, the wide-track tricycle landing gear provided solid ground handling, and the Tweet was known as a rugged little plane. But its best-known attribute was its sound. The combination of the engine inlet design and the engine’s compressor generated a high-pitched, ear-piercing squeal that earned the T-37 nicknames such as “Tweety Bird,” “Dog Whistle” and “The Converter” – as in, “converting fuel and air into noise.” Ultimately, the nickname Tweety Bird stuck and the T-37 has been known simply as the Tweet for decades.
Drawing Down the Tweet
For the past eight years, the Tweet has been slowly leaving service in favor of the Raytheon T-6A Texan II. By 2009, USAF T-37s could be found only at Sheppard AFB as part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program (ENJJPT). The final student sortie in the Tweet took place on June 17th, 2009.
End of the Line with the USAF
On July 31st, the 80th FTW held a ceremony to mark the final official flight of the Tweet. “When you think about it, the T-37 has been flying for 53 years, and I can’t think of another plane outside of the B-52 that has had that kind of enduring legacy,” said Col. Kevin Schneider, 80th FTW commander. “It really is phenomenal to think that an airplane that has been flying for over 50 years is still doing the mission.” At the conclusion of the ceremony, seven T-37s launched from runway 15 right and formed up for a single pass over the base before continuing west to their ultimate destinations. Four headed to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, better known by the acronym AMARG. The other three headed to the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill AFB where they will presumably be used for target practice. By early August, the last few airframes at Sheppard AFB had departed for AMARG and the era of the T-37 with the US Air Force had come to a quiet end.
Where the Tweety Bird Still Flies
Comparing the Tweet to the Texan II, one maintainer at Sheppard AFB stated, “They [the Texan IIs] sure won’t be around for 50 years – too much plastic. These [the Tweets] are much more solid.”
Reflecting its durability, the Tweet is still in service with the Air Forces of Colombia, Pakistan and Peru. Over the past few years, the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC) has acquired more T-37Bs from USAF surplus stocks, using them as trainers for FAC A-37s.
Unfortunately, with the exception of a few privately owned T-37’s, the most likely place to photograph a Tweet in the US has become the AMARG “Boneyard” in Arizona.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank the members of the 80th Flying Training Wing and the Sheppard AFB Public Affairs Office for their considerable assistance in the creation of this article. In particular, I wish to recognize the efforts of: Lt.Col. Washington, Lt.Col. Leazer, Maj. Dobbs, SSgt Anderson, A1C Ruiz, Mr. John Ingle and Mr. Michael McKito. Thanks as well to Paul Filmer for sharing his images of T-37s being delivered to the FAC in 2008.
