OK, one more and I’ll stop hogging the site. Over the weekend on some documentary about some kind of AF training, there was a film snippet quick-cut into the thing for about 1.8 seconds. It showed a taxiway at Moody AFB in, where, Georgia?, and in the background was a taxiing T-38 in a weird scheme I’d never seen anything like on any plane. The T-38 was painted gloss OD from the tip of the nose to about the rear of the second canopy, then, the middle third was white – it looked flat, but it was 1.8 seconds, so… and then, the aft 1/3 of the plane was painted that same gloss OD. The tail code was, I think, in gray, and was MY, which, I guess, isn’t surprising for Moody AFB, though I don’t know the main function of that base. Does anybody know the use of the bird and why the scheme? Are there more like it? When you see a T-38 in a different scheme than white, you notice, esecially with the AT-38 aggressors gone, from what I hear. And I’ve never seen gloss OD on any USAF a/c.
Here ya go. It is known as the “Shamu” scheme. The colors are all gloss and the dark is gunship grey and the light is ghost grey. Hope this helps.
Thanks Eagle. Having never seen gloss Gunship Gray, I can see from your photos how a quick glance at an A/C in medium distance would cause me to mistake it for OD. What is the function of this scheme? Any idea?
(BTW, nice looking Stafighter in your signature. What’s the lowdown on that one? I’ve always liked that scheme. I would be an A model, right? I remember the well-known Mike Machat lithograh of a vertically climbing 104 in that scheme.)
I have no idea what the purpose of this scheme is other than looking pretty cool. This is how I hope to do the Sword kit if I ever get around to it. Thanks for the comments on the Starfighter. It’s Hasegawa’s 1/48 “C” kit, can’t remember who made the decals. It was painted with different shades of Alclad. I think Steve has a photo of it on his site. http://spasticforplastic.1hwy.com/snapshots.html
I know he has some of my kits and another friends there.
There are some from Shephard AFB, Tx in this scheme along with some in solid glossy Gunship Grey. I’ve got a pic somewhere, when I dig it up and get it scanned would you like to see it?
Just an FYI, that aircraft belongs to Vance AFB Enid,Okla, which is a training base for incoming pilots.They have the T-38,T-37 and the Sabreliner up there.I should have gotten some pics when I had the chance. Not sure why I didn’t get them …oh well[sigh]
Anyway I just thought I would pass on the info.[:)][:)]
You mention Sabreliners, which reminds me of my first encounter with one in a “crash” I covered. The wife and entourage of the president of Bolivia decided to take a weekend shopping jaunt to St. Louis. From Bolivia. In the presidential Sabreliner. The pilot was dumb enough to run out of fuel within sight of the Brownsville, TX, field, the planned refueling stop, in clear weather. Dumb, but skilled. He glided down from altitude dead stick, and, flying the big business jet under a telephone wire – dead stick, mind you – he slid it to a stop gear up in a muddy field a hundred feet further on. 500 feet from the runway. The airport was run by a former C-130 instructor, and he told me the Sabreliner was originally designed as a military multi-engine jet trainer and VIP transport, not as a business plane. As a trainer, it is built with a tough, steel keel running the lower length of the fuselage, and that’s why this Bolivian pilot bellied in without a dent on the jet. It’s one of the few corp. jets that interest me, and I wonder if anybody makes a kit of it.
As for that pilot, I wouldn’t want to be the man who crash landed carrying Presidente Generalisimo Banana Republic’s wife. He’s probably hanging by his, um…thumbs, to this very day.
The 38 I’ve got the pic of has WM on the tail, any idea where he’s out of? I assumed Shephard as thats where MOST of the trainers are from that frequent Dyess AFB. I also have one of an HM bird in an aggressor scheme from the early eighties, SN# 63-8153, one in overall white from XL, SN# 65-333. The WM bird is 65-10324.
Roadkill…check this out http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0102/tails.pdf this link is provided courtesy of “72cuda” I guess there was a thread on it a while back. I found it when I was looking at the A-10 posting…so thank him. BTW, I’d like to see the 38 w/ the glossy gunship grey…sounds interesting …if it’s not to much trouble of course.
The WM tail code is for Whiteman AFB NM. They use T-38’s in their “ACE” (accelerated co-pilot training) squadron.
I’ll have the pics up as soon as I can get the scanner up and running again. One of these days I’ll have to replace it I guess.
Are there two Whiteman Air Force Bases? 'cause there is a Whiteman AFB at Sedalia Missouri. Most if not all of the Air Force’s B-2s are based there.
Wondering the same thing meself.
Oops, my boo-boo. I must have had White SANDS on my mind. Whiteman is definately in misery, er, Missouri,
I would imagine, since Whiteman is the B-2 base, that the bomber wing has a few T-38s to keep flight crews sharp and to run regular recertifications. The B-2 at, what is is now?, $2 billion-plus per plane, can’t be used for routine stuff. Personally, as much as we modelers gee-whiz about the plane, a whole lot of tactical bombers could have been bought. But then, nobody knew what was going to happen with the Soviet Union when the B-2 program had gained so much momentum and expense, it was too late to cancel it. Look at the B-1, too. It was on active duty for how long? A blink and it was gone.
I know what you mean Sharkskin,It is almost sad to see all of this happen, [V][V] I could post my opinion of the declining military but I know that it is not appropriate here. Anyway…like grandma said…“If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say it at all.”
Yeah, I have to always remind myself that we are on Kalmbach’s site, and, for very good reason’s, FSM and their other publications are written and edited so that anyone’s grandmother would not be offended by them. This is for modelers, but when we talk about military aircraft inevitably somebody’s politcal opinions are going to come through between the lines. I must remember that. I mean, I started this string asking about T-38 colors.
Oh, and by the way, does anyone know if the white-over-navy blue T-38 scheme is still being used? I like that one.
Are you talking about a similiar paint job that the “Tweets” are adorned with? [%-)]