US Air Force Northrop T-38 flight at Beale AFB California

Walter Colby Productions shot this video in August of 2010 at Beale AFB California during the high flight of Sagar Pathak. This T-38 flight was in preparation for the High flight which occurred the next day.
All images in this clip belong to Walter Colby Productions.

[@TheRoguelement]

There is just something elegant about the T38 it's like your strapping it on , it's sleek & slender it's presence get's your heart rate up

[@alialhawari4905]

I love this aero plane which I flew it and graduated from usaf under graduate pilot training class 6901 in Reese AFB Tex. Lovely bird.

[@marindelgado7737]

Alway love the T38 i have it in remote control with a turbine.

[@randomamerican3287]

Where’d you get it?

[@joekrim6557]

Love them! I crewed a AT-38B, 479 AGS, 434 AMU, Tactical Air Command, Red Flight, Holloman AFB, NM 1980-82. Best days of my life spending them in the US military.

[@OldEnoughToParty]

That shot of the U-2 was badass

[@billstanton8442]

work on the t 38 back in 65 at craig afb

[@fatiredflyer]

Like the Tinman said, "...but I still want one"...

[@Impulse21s]

60 years since they introduced the T-38, and they're still rocking the skies. Amazing!

[@gooniac33]

Lucky guy! I was able to get video of a T-38 from Beale this past week while at the UTM Convention at Moffett!! Such a cool little jet!!

[@aleczander3029]

Do u want to be a pilot

[@USAIRFORCE621]

The T-38 is a 50's era aircraft but it is also one of the most capable, reliable, and sturdy aircraft in the world today and an outstanding trainer aircraft!

[@dervenaskwnstantinos7924]

Its 67's era dude

[@jacob5767]

The engines are 50s tech

[@GrimReaper-wz9me]

@@dervenaskwnstantinos7924 Shut up. Designed in the 1950s.

[@CrooksTrevor]

the u2 is still in service? I thought it would've been retired by now. damn, that service length though...

[@athletichumbleone]

+Crooks PlaysYT Yes U2/Dragonlady is still flying, otherweise the SR-71 is retired.. I'm sure with upgrades U2s will be flying for a while

[@kimifan06]

Still in service! The pilots train in these aircraft

[@cocolemon_gaming]

Naw... That's a MiG-28.. stop lying

[@Ed-hz2um]

Hey, Huggy! Love the Doo-Rag. Greetings from the Adirondacks.

[@barryrothman4692]

Not carrying checklist on preflight

[@GBuckne]

...apparently these are no longer manufactured, they just refurbish what they have....?

[@daniloviana8818]

Two jets, two wings, two seats, nothing more! Speedy

[@christinadaly7743]

Rick Daly says; What's up in the back seat ? Be nice to see these birds painted White again ! they were beautiful .

[@benjaminflick3]

It’s a civilian for a ride along

[@kudukilla]

Different bases use different paint schemes. Most bases, and NASA do use white

[@Wildturkey10121]

This is the most beautiful plane ever developed. I love the swing wings of the F111 and f14 but only the f16 comes close to this bird if you ask me.

[@Berkut13]

Humm...got rid of the nozzles?

[@dalem.3147]

What is the Air Force going to do with all of its T38s when the T7A comes online in 2023?

[@KasperPor]

yes i fly that thing,

[@pieter_v.h.3539]

I'm looking on my plane radar and i see dozens of those flying around

[@Michael-xo8lw]

SAGAR!

[@АлександрКлинцов-я9ъ]

Хлопцы, а что ж у вас подшлемников нет? Фу, как негигиенично и неэстэтично...

[@hairytictacs83]

Wheres the sound??

[@wcolby]

I’m guessing since you’re the first person that said “where is the sound” I’m guessing there’s a problem with your computer

[@God4445]

Ahhh yes I believe tom cruise took some of these down in the Persian gulf.

[@kudukilla]

Those would have been F-5’s but they’re basically the same airframe.

[@allgood6760]

Beautiful plane👍

[@kingbee1500]

The T-38/F-5...fifty years old and still cooking! Ultra-easy to maintain-one elegant little airframe. When I went in the USAF in 1973, they had all but replaced the Cessna T-37 "Tweets." the first jet trainer. My Sheppard AFB tech school class photo has a T-38 in the background!

[@Hin11]

King Bee, are you saying the T-38s replaced the T-37, or are you saying the T-37s had been retired by 1973? I entered the AF in 1972 and there were hundreds of T-37s still flying at several UPT bases. When I left in 1976, they were still there, flying every weekday turning out students that then went to the T-38 to finish UPT. T-37s weren't the first jet trainers, either. There were T-33s in the '50s turning USAF student pilots into USAF pilots.

[@kingbee1500]

The conversion to the T-38 was 85% by 1974. However, 1 of 3 flying training squadrons at Randolph and 1 of 4 at Goodfellow were still all T-37. Reese and most all other FTS in Texas bases had went to the -38. AF-wide, there were less than 20 T-33s left.(Source: Air Force Magazine Annual Issue 1975; Inventory of USAF Active Aircraft as of 12-31-74.)

[@Hin11]

+King Bee I was a student pilot at Willie in 1972-73 and a T-38 IP at Willie 73-76. At every base that there was a T-38 student training squadron, there was a T-37 student training squadron. Those bases were Laughlin, Laredo, Randolph, Williams, Reeese, Columbus and Sheppard. So your assertion that the T-37 was no longer flying or nearly so by 1974 is ridiculous. It was the lead in aircraft to the T-38 and remained so until into the '80s or '90s when the T-6s were introduced. I threw in the part about the T-33s because you said the T-37 was the first jet trainer. It was not, T-33s preceeded it.

[@cgjohnst45]

Hin11 is correct. The T-38 was not a replacement or the Tweet. The Tweet continued to fly until the early-mid 2000's when the T-6 replaced it. The T-38 is a phase 3 (advanced phase) aircraft for the fighter/bomber track stud pilots.

[@AlpineWarren]

I flew the T-37 in 1985 at Sheppard AFB in the 80th ENJJPTP before moving to the T-38 so they were still active for quite awhile.

[@debkauffman8262]

Pride

[@Aliabdulhussein69]

I wonder what are the common mistakes that the t38 traine pilots fall in during the process training?

[@kenz5469]

Using too much rudder....

[@HEDGE1011]

It’s very challenging to learn to land well, particularly no flap landings. My class only had one guy wash out in T-38s (though about half our class washed out in T-37s), and that was for inability to fly formation. Loved the T-38. Willie 88-03

[@Aliabdulhussein69]

@@HEDGE1011 I’m able to land it without flaps, all I need is a longer runway.

[@KOartist35]

F$ck a house. Im getting a jet with a lazy boy in the back seat and becoming a flying transient

[@bigchristhedon]

Mehn thats me on the f-5

[@kennethaliantluanga1370]

4 t38talpn give me i need farm veng go go4

[@LJSJIUJITSU]

I've heard the T-38 is a very hard to handle jet that though good for learning true stick and rudder skills has cost the lives of many a pilot.

[@hartmutboehm5807]

In 1975 I flew 120 houres on the „White Beauty“. Sheppard AFB. 76-03 (For the Insiders). It is a foregiving aircraft. A Beauty to fly . Proud to have.

[@soselboos4842]

Some airman just lost there life in two of this

[@rpsqueezer]

Any high performance aircraft is going to be more challenging than, say, a Cessna 172. But the T-38 is a relatively forgiving trainer. If it hadn't been as good as it is, the Air Force would have replaced it long ago. And like most birds, it won’t tolerate many mistakes. During my training, it only shocked me once by flipping over during a full aft stick stall. And that was due to the wings being out of rig. We recovered safely and continued the training mission. Love that bird as I imagine almost all AF pilots do. We’d all love to have one in the personal hangar!

[@rodmorrow]

In the mid-sixties, there were student pilots that should have been held back or washed out, but their rank gave them special considerations. As long as the trainees were properly prepared and screened fairly, the 38 was a dream to fly…and very safe! Four ship formation was a beautiful thing to participate in! And solo flight was a special delight!

[@Bbendfender]

The guy in back has rank on his flight suit but he is not acting like a pilot in the cockpit. He may be a guest but wearing rank does not fit.

[@Pilot545]

+Bbendfender You are right, he is not a pilot. Probably just an incentive ride for him. Just a non-pilot Air Force officer.

[@kingbee1500]

+Michael Godsey Yeh...a crew chief on an incentive flight would've taken it seriously.

[@Pilot545]

+King Bee definitely!! I always hated flying a D-model with an empty back seat (happens all the time). I always wished I could put my crew chief in the back. Felt guilty taxiing out with that seat empty.

[@donwilsonbkmp3845]

beale afb has c- 135's and U2's. Maybe B-2's also(not sure about that though). The T-38 program started with the old SAC. The 38 was used to raise morale and keep pilots more current as they were not flying alot of hours( flt hours).

[@phila3884]

@@donwilsonbkmp3845 Kind of correct. During the Cold War, SAC senior leadership was always thinking three steps ahead/worst case scenarios. The T-38 was used as a companion trainer to get KC-135 and B-52 Co-pilots experience as pilot-in-command in case the Air Force needed to expedite their upgrade to Aircraft Commander in times of emergency (see-Cold War). At Beale, it was also used for U2 and SR-71 pilots to maintain flight and instrument proficiency in a lower-cost airframe. Morale had nothing to do with it.

[@fixizin]

Superb jet trainer for short flights with a First World Air Force support infrastructure, but not so great for private ownership (ask Ross Perot, Jr...), i.e. no self-start, no APU, no drop tanks, zero luggage room... private owners are much happier with the German Alpha Jet. ;')