T-38 advanced fliying problems

[avallillo 3]

Thank you, w6kd, for your real world input and thank you for your service!  I agree with you completely about the objectives and design of the T-38, although I suppose that we were fortunate in our year in the barrel, because the whole 53 or so weeks that I was in UPT at Craig, we had not a single fatal accident, nor even a major non fatal event.  Part of the problems that cropped up in the 1980's may be due to the tinkering they did with what had been the T-41 program, as well as the ROTC FIP program, both of which I had gone through.  I understand that for a time there was no preliminary screening at all, which may have led to a few weak students getting through the T-37 only to come to grief in the T-38.  I do recall accidents in the T-38 at other bases and in other years than when I was at Craig, so there is certainly a lot of truth to what you say about its characteristics. 

I have discovered that if I bring the fuel down to around 1500 lb it will fly decently, although the simulation does not seem to like flying a very shallow glidepath like I remember we did in the real thing - it is always wanting to trend higher.  And although it will fly at that lighter weight at speeds around 165 and green circle on the AOA, it does start buffeting more than I remember it did when the flare commences (I recall we did not do much of a flare, though, in the T-38 -- just a touch.  On my initial solo, I had to go around on my own twice because I ballooned it a bit in the flare by pulling a tad too much,  The T-38 solo is the only solo of my whole career that I specifically recall now; the rest are only logbook entries!)

w6kd -- do you recall what fuel loads we carried on a normal training sortie (not a cross country)?  I recall the thing had not too much total fuel capacity, only around an hour with a bit of reserve considering that we spent a good deal of time in burner on VFR training flights doing acro.  It seems like 1500 lb total fuel on arrival back at the pattern may have been what we were landing with.  I don't ever recall making a high gross weight landing, such as an immediate return after takeoff.  But 45 or so years does dim the memories, even of a spectacular airplane like the White Rocket.

In your era, did every student go through the 38, or had they already begun splitting the advanced phase into tracks, such as they have now? 

I will see if I can find some sort of proof of purchase and send it along so that I can take this over to the specialized forums. 

Again, I want to say what an overall great piece of work this is!  It must be me, judging from the input from pilots who have flown it more recently than I have.