thedrifter
08-06-07, 11:24 AM
The Lore of the Corps
For decades, leatherneck pilots trained on Mentor
By Robert F. Dorr - Special to the Times
Posted : August 13, 2007
The first time they strapped into an aircraft cockpit, would-be Marine aviators of the Vietnam era found themselves in a propeller plane that excelled as an aerial classroom.
The T-34B Mentor “taught a whole bunch of us how to fly,” said retired Col. William “Bullet” Bauer, who later piloted the F-4B Phantom II fighter in Vietnam. “It was easy to fly and very forgiving. It was good for spin training, both upright and inverted, and easy to recover.”
The T-34B was a low-wing, tricycle-gear aircraft. A 225-horsepower Continental O-470-13 engine with a two-bladed propeller provided its power.
Most Marine pilots undergo flight training at Navy bases. From the 1950s to the 1970s, their primary training began in the cockpit of the T-34B.
The Mentor’s story began when the Air Force accepted its first T-34A model in September 1953.
The Navy announced June 17, 1954, that it had decided to adopt a virtually identical version, the T-34B. Beech, a well-known Wichita, Kan., plane maker, delivered the first T-34B to the Navy on Dec. 17, 1954.
The first plane joined training squadron VT-1 at Saufley Field near Pensacola, Fla., in 1958.
Former Capt. Cliff Judkins, who later flew the F-8 Crusader, had his first T-34B flight at Saufley in September 1958.
“I remember that we were never allowed to pull the mixture out of the ‘rich’ position,” Judkins said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but the instructors were afraid that someone would accidentally shut down an engine.”
The new world of the student pilot remains vivid to Judkins.
“I remember some of the procedures. To land: ‘chop, prop, one ten, drop.’ Translation: ‘chop the throttle to idle, [put the prop control full forward, steady the plane at air speed 110, and put down the landing gear].’”
The purpose was to teach a student pilot the basics of aviation before he moved to a more advanced trainer and eventually to an operational aircraft. The T-34B was a simple, reliable design with a good safety record.
“The cockpit was pure military, with the engine controls on the left side, and a stick,” said retired Col. Jim Henshaw, who later flew the A-6A Intruder. “The sliding canopy manually operated with the front and rear portions independent.”
Briefly in the late 1950s, a few T-34Bs were farmed out to Marine Air Reserve units around the country and were used as “hacks,” or utility craft.
Retired Col. John Geuss remembers having six T-34Bs with Reserve fighter squadron VMF-543 at Glenview, Ill., in 1958. “We weren’t allowed to paint ‘Marines’ on them,” he said. “But we flew them everywhere. If you had to fly to a meeting, this was the plane to use.”
Company records show that Beech manufactured 423 T-34Bs between October 1954 and October 1957. The planes trained Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators until the mid-1970s, when they were replaced by the turboprop-powered T-34C Turbo Mentor.
Many T-34Bs still belong to military flying clubs today.
Robert F. Dorr, an Air Force veteran, lives in Oakton, Va. He is the author of “Chopper,” a history of helicopter pilots. His e-mail address is robert.f.dorr@cox.net.
Ellie
For decades, leatherneck pilots trained on Mentor
By Robert F. Dorr - Special to the Times
Posted : August 13, 2007
The first time they strapped into an aircraft cockpit, would-be Marine aviators of the Vietnam era found themselves in a propeller plane that excelled as an aerial classroom.
The T-34B Mentor “taught a whole bunch of us how to fly,” said retired Col. William “Bullet” Bauer, who later piloted the F-4B Phantom II fighter in Vietnam. “It was easy to fly and very forgiving. It was good for spin training, both upright and inverted, and easy to recover.”
The T-34B was a low-wing, tricycle-gear aircraft. A 225-horsepower Continental O-470-13 engine with a two-bladed propeller provided its power.
Most Marine pilots undergo flight training at Navy bases. From the 1950s to the 1970s, their primary training began in the cockpit of the T-34B.
The Mentor’s story began when the Air Force accepted its first T-34A model in September 1953.
The Navy announced June 17, 1954, that it had decided to adopt a virtually identical version, the T-34B. Beech, a well-known Wichita, Kan., plane maker, delivered the first T-34B to the Navy on Dec. 17, 1954.
The first plane joined training squadron VT-1 at Saufley Field near Pensacola, Fla., in 1958.
Former Capt. Cliff Judkins, who later flew the F-8 Crusader, had his first T-34B flight at Saufley in September 1958.
“I remember that we were never allowed to pull the mixture out of the ‘rich’ position,” Judkins said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but the instructors were afraid that someone would accidentally shut down an engine.”
The new world of the student pilot remains vivid to Judkins.
“I remember some of the procedures. To land: ‘chop, prop, one ten, drop.’ Translation: ‘chop the throttle to idle, [put the prop control full forward, steady the plane at air speed 110, and put down the landing gear].’”
The purpose was to teach a student pilot the basics of aviation before he moved to a more advanced trainer and eventually to an operational aircraft. The T-34B was a simple, reliable design with a good safety record.
“The cockpit was pure military, with the engine controls on the left side, and a stick,” said retired Col. Jim Henshaw, who later flew the A-6A Intruder. “The sliding canopy manually operated with the front and rear portions independent.”
Briefly in the late 1950s, a few T-34Bs were farmed out to Marine Air Reserve units around the country and were used as “hacks,” or utility craft.
Retired Col. John Geuss remembers having six T-34Bs with Reserve fighter squadron VMF-543 at Glenview, Ill., in 1958. “We weren’t allowed to paint ‘Marines’ on them,” he said. “But we flew them everywhere. If you had to fly to a meeting, this was the plane to use.”
Company records show that Beech manufactured 423 T-34Bs between October 1954 and October 1957. The planes trained Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators until the mid-1970s, when they were replaced by the turboprop-powered T-34C Turbo Mentor.
Many T-34Bs still belong to military flying clubs today.
Robert F. Dorr, an Air Force veteran, lives in Oakton, Va. He is the author of “Chopper,” a history of helicopter pilots. His e-mail address is robert.f.dorr@cox.net.
Ellie