reloder

Nope, they appear not to...but think they do more so than anyone else. Or maybe I'm just remembering how we were.

T-6? No, I'm old. IP in tandem a/c: F-4, F-104. IP in side by side a/c: T-37, B-727, DC-9, MD-80, ERJ-170. IP in separate a/c: A-10. Neat fact. The prototype B-52 had a tandem seating set-up, like the B-47. Curtis Lemay thought differently and told Boeing to redo the cockpit to a side by side arrangement.

Is there such a thing as T-37 style initial jet training? I realize that this debate is over, but I remain of the opinion that side-by-side seating was a better teaching environment for this segment of pilot training.

In my new hire airline class, I was next to oldest with about 4400 hours total. There were a number of young guys in their mid-20s who commented that my total time was pretty low for such an old coot (44 at the time). I just smiled and passed on the question but I would have liked to explain to them that there is a difference between experience and repetition. Flying boxes and checks from point A to B isn't quite the same as a 35 minute air-to-air sortie in a F-104 where 5 minutes in taxi time was included or an F-4 range sortie with 3 strafe, 6 bomb, and 3 more rocket events.

Google has pictures of the left main gear area that appear to show flaps and slats extended.

What's a Friday shirt?

Sadly, too true.

I miss the good old days when we obsessed over black socks and grass in the sidewalk cracks.

All of this seems so unnecessary. What was wrong with the old T-41/T-37/T-38 way of doing things?

Sure...that and a 3 ER is promotable.

Sorry, don't know what that is either. Just an OFP who can't keep up with all the current lingo.

I have followed this discussion with considerable interest. I was a T-37 IP at Laredo, 1969-72. Then on to fighters and then the airlines. IP in F-4, F-104, A-10, B-727, DC-9, MD-80, and EMB-170. Too bad we can't restart the 37 and 38 production lines and return to a time when things for the most part seemed to get done.

Are we referring to senior leadership? How did this term originate?