The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record. The Talon first flew in 1959 as the trainer variant of a lightweight fighter project (the N-156 project) by the Northrop Corporation (today part of Northrop Grumman). Although the United States Air Force had no need for a small fighter at the time, it became interested in the trainer as a replacement for the T-33 Shooting Star it was then using in this role. More than 1,100 were delivered to the Air Force between 1961 and 1972 when production ended.
In response to the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, the Thunderbirds aerobatic team of the U.S. Air Force adopted the T-38 Talon (which used far less fuel than the F-4 Phantom) in 1974. After the infamous "Diamond Crash" incident that killed four of the team's six demonstration pilots, the Talon was replaced in this role by the front-line F-16A Fighting Falcon in 1983.
Modeled here is the 1976 Bi-Centennial Thunderbirds' T-38, by Doug Kaye (DHK79). This T-38 has what is now a nearly a vintage power supply. It is driven by two nitro powered ByroJet ducted fans. In fact the size of the aircraft was specifically determined by the size of the ducts these fans require. As the ByroJets are powered by nitro engines, they will never achieve the RPM that an electric motor can. This is why the plane is slower than what might be expected, yet still has the power to do any maneuver. This model was an entry in George (Katonka) Miller's Design Contest of 2008.
Designer's note: I released this aircraft slightly misnamed as a "T-38 Thunderbird" because the UVW mapping for this colorscheme is extremely complicated, and anyone who wanted to repaint it would be pulling their hair out. I will therefore be releasing another version (correctly named) with a simpler mapping as soon as I finish its colorscheme. Secondly, the T-38 was slightly modified to become a fighter, so there will also be a F-5F Tiger II version following.
Doug
In response to the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, the Thunderbirds aerobatic team of the U.S. Air Force adopted the T-38 Talon (which used far less fuel than the F-4 Phantom) in 1974. After the infamous "Diamond Crash" incident that killed four of the team's six demonstration pilots, the Talon was replaced in this role by the front-line F-16A Fighting Falcon in 1983.
Modeled here is the 1976 Bi-Centennial Thunderbirds' T-38, by Doug Kaye (DHK79). This T-38 has what is now a nearly a vintage power supply. It is driven by two nitro powered ByroJet ducted fans. In fact the size of the aircraft was specifically determined by the size of the ducts these fans require. As the ByroJets are powered by nitro engines, they will never achieve the RPM that an electric motor can. This is why the plane is slower than what might be expected, yet still has the power to do any maneuver. This model was an entry in George (Katonka) Miller's Design Contest of 2008.
Designer's note: I released this aircraft slightly misnamed as a "T-38 Thunderbird" because the UVW mapping for this colorscheme is extremely complicated, and anyone who wanted to repaint it would be pulling their hair out. I will therefore be releasing another version (correctly named) with a simpler mapping as soon as I finish its colorscheme. Secondly, the T-38 was slightly modified to become a fighter, so there will also be a F-5F Tiger II version following.
Doug
