Squadron flies last T-37 sortie

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Danielle Powell
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. --  The 41st Flying Training Squadron flew their last T-37 sortie Aug. 9. The squadron will now only fly the T-6 Texan II. 

Instructor pilots Major Brian Worthington and 1st Lt. Adam Flaherty were selected to fly in this meaningful event. They were chosen because they were the oldest and youngest IPs, respectively, in the squadron. 

After taxiing in, the two were met by Col. Jeff Dunn, 14th Flying Training Wing vice commander, Col. Eric Theisen, 14th Operations Group commander, Lt. Col. Charles Hamilton, 41st FTS commander, and Mr. Jennings Cox, honorary commander for the 41st FTS. Other members of the 41st FTS were also present to congratulate the pilots. 

Lt. Col. Hamilton rallied everyone out inside into the 41st FTS Heritage Room. Once all were out of the heat, Lt. Col. Hamilton gave a brief history of the T-37 Tweet. The 41st FTS has seen more than 1,800 students fly in the Tweet, with more than 189,650 sorties and more than 242,850 flight hours. "This all adds up the global power, air supremacy and winning the war on global terrorism," he said. 

The last class of the student pilots to fly the T-37 in the 41st FTS was also recognized during this informal ceremony. "You are a piece of heritage now. Some day you will be able to tell a young lieutenant that you flew in the T-37" remarked Colonel Dunn. 

When asked what the T-37 meant to him as a pilot, 1st Lt. Flaherty said "I will always remember it as being a very fun plane to fly, despite being very noisy and hot. It was nice having a multi-engine jet that could fly formation, spin and instruments all in the same sortie. It's also amazing the T-37 has been doing all these things for half a century." 

As an IP who will transition to the T-6 in September, Lt. Flaherty, a First Assignment Instructor Pilot challenged "We will see if the T-6 can match that." 

In June, Air Force artist Keith Ferris paid a visit to Columbus AFB to take flight in a T-37 before painting the T-37 fini flight painting. During his visit, Mr. Ferris left a painting of a T-37 with the 41st FTS which will now hang in the Heritage Room to mark what Lt. Col. Hamilton called "the ending to a chapter in our history." 

The 37th Flying Training Squadron will still be training pilots in the T-37 Tweet through March, 2008. After that, Sheppard AFB, Texas will be the only AETC base flying T-37s in their Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. The 41st FTS will now only be training pilots in the T-6 Texan II.