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T-38 landing speed

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airplane wizard

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Posts
792
Hi,

What airspeed does the T-38 fly when landing? I just saw a Nasa T-38 at Oshkosh (no Pilots around). Those thin wings must have to go really fast to develope any lift.

Best Regards

Brian
 
airplane wizard said:
Hi,

What airspeed does the T-38 fly when landing? I just saw a Nasa T-38 at Oshkosh (no Pilots around). Those thin wings must have to go really fast to develope any lift.
Approach speed is 155 kts plus 1kt for every 100 lbs of fuel above 1,000 lbs. Takeoff fuel is 3600 lbs. Minimum fuel is 600 lbs.

If you had 1500 lbs of fuel, approach speed is 160 kts. If you are no-flap add 15 kts.
 
Small airplanes always look faster than larger ones at a given speed. That's why the BD-5J looks like its smoking when it's not, and a 747 looks sloooow when coing in.

The F-104 - That was small AND fast.
 
The T-38 and especially the F-5... still looking awesome after 50 years. Easily in the top 5 for looks if not performance.
 
Afterprop said:
I'll never forget my first T-38 sortie . . . what a blast !

I think the first 5 sorties are just painful trying to land the friggin thing...I think you do about 15 closed patterns on each if I remember right (or maybe that was just my clown act! lol)
 
600 lbs at landing? That sounds like the old Lear days with the low fuel light on!
 
OPECJet said:
600 lbs at landing? That sounds like the old Lear days with the low fuel light on!
Turns on the "Mission Complete" light. AKA "Master Caution" and fuel low light.
 
OPECJet said:
600 lbs at landing? That sounds like the old Lear days with the low fuel light on!

What exactly is the difference between old Lear days and new Lear days? Isn't this about flying the T-38?
 
MAGNUM!! said:
0.8-1.3 depending on what type of sortie. Ballpark.

I'll buy the .8. On the high side, I think that I logged one T-3 sortie (dual IP) for 2.2 or something like that. We were flying west into a 150+ kt headwind @ FL390. We had enough fuel to get in a touch and go; back to the chocks without illuminating the mission complete light. However, my bladder full light came on prior to descent. :D
 
Scrapdog said:
What exactly is the difference between old Lear days and new Lear days? Isn't this about flying the T-38?
Well pardon the hell outta him! We all weren't fortunate enough to be cool enough to fly T-38's, and I think he was simply trying to correlate his past days flying a lowly civilian airplane with the same engines - minus the afterburners.

How dare he try to join in a conversation with a fighter jock!
 
AeroDork said:
Well pardon the hell outta him! We all weren't fortunate enough to be cool enough to fly T-38's, and I think he was simply trying to correlate his past days flying a lowly civilian airplane with the same engines - minus the afterburners.

How dare he try to join in a conversation with a fighter jock!

Wow - someone took this way too personal!! I didn't know that they had the same motors...if you would have said that, I would have then understood his correlation. And he's welcome to join the conversation with me anytime, he doesn't have to dare.
 
I don't think there were any T-38's from NASA there. If you saw a couple of black T-38's tail numbers 429 and 270), that was my 2-ship, and we're from Beale AFB. We left this morning.
As stated previously, the flapped approach speed with 1500# would be 160 KIAS.
The landing speed (with flaps), would be 135 KIAS (130 KIAS + 1 knot for each 100# above 1000# of fuel).
The way it is taught is to fly final at 155+fuel, cross the threshold at 145+fuel, and touchdown at 130+fuel.
For a no flap, at 15 knots to all the above speeds.
 
Gorilla said:
I always used "Mr. AOA Donut." I couldn't do such math.

I agree with the donut but I've seen some bogus approach AOA's doing FCFs. But I guess that's why we do the FCFs.

With the C model they've bump up the approach speed to 160 plus gas.

.8-1.3 AOA on final? In a '38? I like .6-ish AOA but that's just me. If I see 1.3 AOA I think I'd be in blower cuttin' through the tweet pattern (helicopter pattern here at WGA) if not sinking like a rock.
 
Last edited:
talondriver said:
I agree with the donut but I've seen some bogus approach AOA's doing FCFs. But I guess that's why we do the FCFs.

Agreed. A quick cross-check of AOA and airspeed reasonableness is part of using the AOA as the primary device.

The T-38 is one of the jets that "talks" to you at higher AOA's. The F-15 and especially the F-4 did as well. Distinct levels of rumbling, and certain control mushiness were obvious after enough time in the jet.

One thing about the F-16 that was odd to me - I just had a couple of rides during DACT deployments - was that during the fight, the ride was smoooth, all the way up to the point where we fluttered from the sky like a leaf with zero energy, while the F-15's formed a box pattern and took turns gunning us. ;)

The F-16 didn't talk to me... she was quiet. Maybe I wasn't listening properly.
 
Gorilla said:
Agreed. A quick cross-check of AOA and airspeed reasonableness is part of using the AOA as the primary device.

The T-38 is one of the jets that "talks" to you at higher AOA's. The F-15 and especially the F-4 did as well. Distinct levels of rumbling, and certain control mushiness were obvious after enough time in the jet.

One thing about the F-16 that was odd to me - I just had a couple of rides during DACT deployments - was that during the fight, the ride was smoooth, all the way up to the point where we fluttered from the sky like a leaf with zero energy, while the F-15's formed a box pattern and took turns gunning us. ;)

The F-16 didn't talk to me... she was quiet. Maybe I wasn't listening properly.

The F-16 doesn't talk to you - at least not in the same sense as the F-15. I had the privledge of flying the F-15 on active duty and now have the privledge of the flying the F-16 in the ANG. Having a couple of rides in the backseat of the Viper is definetly not enough time to get the "feel" of the jet. While I still have a lot to learn in BFM'ing with the F-16, I will say if you keep your knots up, you're smart with your Em management, and you have a GE motor in the Viper against a crappy Pratt 100, you'll outrate the Eagle everytime. And if you get in a slow speed fight in the Viper, you may lose 3/9 for a potato, but you'll quickly have the ability to take it over the top where the Eagle will fall off first. Then you'll be gunning the Eagle instead...
 
Huggyu2 said:
I don't think there were any T-38's from NASA there. If you saw a couple of black T-38's tail numbers 429 and 270), that was my 2-ship, and we're from Beale AFB. We left this morning.


you must be one of the U-2 pilots that I talked with on Friday:) There was a Nasa T-38 there on the first day (Monday)
 

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