T34C Mentor, not just another trainer

It should cause much midnight oil to be consumed in RAAF training philosophy establishments, in terms of sheer commonsense and practicality . . .

There is no secret surrounding the fact that the RAAF’s current fleet of CT4s is not filling its role in terms of ser­viceability. Many instructors in fact wish they had the venerable Winjeel back in service, rather than the rudder­ happy CT4.

With the T-34C in RAAF service – prices are still vague but a civilian could buy a copy for less than $A500,000- train­ ing could cover ab initio to about half the current Macchi fly­ ing program at No. 2FTS, thus prolonging the Macchi’s service life.

Service pilots who flew the T-34C during its Australian visit are enthusiastic about its performance, its ground attack support and forward air control capability and its sheer good arithmetic vis-a-vis serviceability, pilot-handling and TBO (a T-34C’s torque-limited engine has a 4000hr figure, according to Beechcraft officials).

Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd general aviation division has since circulated a detailed document on the T-34C to a limited list. AADR has been supplied with a copy of this limited­ readership document, and we reproduce relevant parts in this issue.

We do this while acknowledging the fact that Hawker Pacific is a conservatively-minded organisation, and has not produced data on the visit with any obvious long-term con­ tract in mind.

However, anyone in possession of the facts and figures on this remarkable aircraft (and the possibility of offset orders) would be somewhat simple if he did not acknowledge that there is more than a sniff of excitement in the air, in Ser­ vice operational circles – which is where the training buck really stops.

For sheer commonsense, the T-34C is a good bet. The real work lies in convincing Canberra that it has a place in the eternal priority contest with expensive things like F-15s, F-16s and updated Orions . . .

T-34C Design Philosophy

As gas turbines had made dramatic advances in small and reliable turboprop engines, it was decided at Beechcraft to harness the subsequent improved performance to a proven airframe design.

The end target was to offer turbine operating techniques throughout pilot training syllabi, teaching trainee pilots to prepare for pure jet operation from the outset.

Cost-effective pilot training would result. A one-type training syllabus would help narrow decision processes regar­ ding pilot suspension and attrition.

The PT6A-25 engine can handle training in both fixed­ pitch and variable-pitch modes, and itself had an initial TBO of 3000 hours, since improved upon, Engine and solid state avionics have contributed to a manhour/flight maintenance ratio of an astonishing 1:1. 9 hours.

The Aircraft

With 50 in service with the US Navy, and a further 61 delivered to six other nations (the US Navy total is to be 116, with 16 due for the Indonesian Air Force), reports of handling in operation have been heartening.

The current speed envelope covers 58kts stall speed to 250kts IAS at 20,000ft. FAA certification has extended the top speed bracket to 280kts IAS.

In standard configuration, range is 720nm which can be stretched to 1550nm with two 75 gal US ferry tanks. These tanks were fitted to the Australian tour T-34C for the Adelaide-Perth leg.

In the training role, there is enough fuel for 3. 5 hours of flight between refuellings, ensuring quick turn-rounds between sorties.

The T-34C is fully aerobatic. RAAF pilots who flew the “Charlie” (as it was nicknamed during its down-under tour) were cock-a-hoop with its behaviour and response in all modes of flight. Airframe is currently stressed to +6 and -3G, and has a current fatigue life of 16,000 hours and 30,000 landings. .

A great asset of the Charlie is its response to pilot input, making a QFl’s life much easier and that of the trainee more honest.

Rate of climb is booked at 2100fpm, fast enough to en­ sure that maximum time is spent. in the training environment. The T-34C has hard point provision for a significant workload in its ground attack support role, if needed.

Typical armament configurations include:

Armament training (1); two stations occupied by SUU-11 gun pods. Armament training (2); two stations, one with LAU- 59 rockets, one with AF/B37K-1 bomblets. Armament training (3); four stations loaded with LAU-59 rockets and SUU-11 gun pods.

Tactical strike (1); four stations, each with a Mk81 bomb. Tactical strike (2); four stations – BLU-10B fire bomb on two, SU-11 gun pod on two. • Target tow: one station (No. 3) housing a TA8X tow target.

Beech Aircraft Corporation has already identified a need for about 800 of these remarkable aircraft during the next five years. Current production is pegged at 12 per month, with a current total of 191 deliveries and orders.

The T-J4C’s Far East and Pacific tour – which included Australia – covered 11,000nm, with 83 demonstration flights made during this period.

Throughout the tour there was no engineer present, and the Turbine Mentor demonstration pilot simply carried out pre-flights prior to his daily routine. There were no delays through unserviceability . . .

The aircraft departed Wichita in November 1977. It reached Singapore after an extensive European demonstra­ tion tour.

In the course of this tour demonstrations were made in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, and of course, Australia. The longest leg was from Madras to Singapore, nine hours, 10 min, with ferry tankage – which incidentally was fitted within 45 minutes.

The T-34C landed at Bankstown on April 11, having stag­ ed through Darwin and Mt Isa from Brunei. On arrival, the port exhaust pipe was replaced, and one quart of engine oil added.

A routine 100-hourly was made at RAAF Pearce, WA, II before the Turbine Mentor departed for the Hanover Fair.

Forty demonstrations were flown in Australia, and good media coverage was aroused. Pilots who flew the aircraft commented on a number of common-interest factors:

• The sturdy and military appearance of the aircraft.
• The lack of support equipment needed to keep the T- 34C operational.
• The excellent all-round visibility from both tandem seats, roominess and comfort – and interior air-conditioning.
• The good ROC and manoeuvrability, plus control crispness throughout the speed range.
• The performance envelope, including advanced aerobatics and spinning. (The Turbine Mentor has overcome initial tendencies towards aggravated spins, by adding spin I strakes aft. )
• The reliability, ease of access to working parts, quietness and fuel consumption (30gphUS in a typical training configuration).

According to Beech R & D figures, the T-34C is capable of satisfying training requirements for the next 20-30 years.

The demonstration aircraft arrived in Australia with its FAA Type certificate in its pocket, applicable from December 17, 1976, fulfilling Part 23 requirements.

Operationally, the Turbine Mentor’s cockpit arrange­ ment is both practical and sufficient to satisfy the most exac­ting RAAF instructor or operational pilot – and a goodly number clambered into the T-34C during its Australian tour.

According to statistics, the Australian tour aircraft was flown by Service pilots as follows:

RAN Nowra: Lt/Cdr C. Talbot (CFI), Lt Rasmus (VC851 in­structor and pilot).

RAAF Fairbairn: Air Marshal Sir James Rowland (CAS), G/Capt J. Paule (DSR, RAAF), W/Cdr C. Couzens (DT-AF), S/Ldr D. Pollock (DS Staff College), Capt A. Seivl, ARA (DAVN Rep), Lt/Cdr B. Diamond, RAN (DNAP Rep).

RAAF Fairbairn (second day): Air Vice-Marshal I. S. Parker (CAFP), Air Vice-Marshal J. I. Adams (CAF Ops), S/LdrW. F. Parsons (STRNG-AF), G. Cramp (STOAVN).

AADR observes from this impressive list that many pilots of Air rank who flew the Charlie were at one time or another in command of flying training establishments, and also of front-line squadrons who received mixed-training pilots.

These officers are eminently suited to evaluate this air­ craft in terms of real pilot requirements, knowing as they do the many tangles which occur in young pilots’ minds when suddenly switched from piston to turbine-engine types.

A proposed flight by the Minister for Defence, Mr Killen, had unfortunately to be cancelled owing to the Minister’s attendance at a colleague’s funeral.

RAAF East Sale: W/Cdr R. Cooper (CO, CFS), S/Ldr T. Ford (CFI), F/Lts G. Trappett, B. Espeland, P. Moran, I. Kerr and J. Rotwell, all QFls.

RAAF Point Cook: G/Capt A. Reed (SO Air Training, HQ SupCom), W/Cdr M. McDonald (CO), S/Ldr A. Tremain (CFI), S/Ldr T. Etheridge (OC “A” Flt), S/Ldr G. Hayward (OC ”-B” Flt), F/Lt D. Chipman (Standardisation Officer).

RAAF Edinburgh: W/Cdr B. Richardson (OC Flight Test Sqdn), test pilots F/Lts J. Jones, J. Foley, J. Kindler.

RAAF Pearce: Wing Commander K. Pyke (CO 2FTS), S/Ldr R. McGrath (CFI), S/Lrd M. Cavenagh (QFI), F/Lt B. Mears (QFI).

Demonstrations were flown by Beech pilots at most of these venues, featuring all modes of normal and aerobatic flight including loops, rolls hesitation rolls, flick rolls, spins (amply demonstrating that the T-34C has been debugged of its initial tendency to adopt a stable and flat autorotation at the alarming rate of up to 320 degrees/sec).

Without going into ad infinitum detail, AADR knows that the T-34C – the Charlie – has shown itself to be a most desirable aircraft which can immediately serve two significant purposes:

• It can provide both ab initio and advanced training for Service pilots, without new engine-handling techniques be­ ing learnt at FTS level.
• And it can take around 50 per cent of the flying weight off the Macchis at 2FTS, thus prolonging their useful life – and taking the onus from the DOD in making a priority deci­ sion on Macchi replacement.

A bonus is the addition to the RAAF inventory of a ground attack/support and FAC aircraft.

One sometimes wonders if there is a masochistic perver­sity in “someone” always demonstrating that the Service’s pilots and ground crews are out of step in wanting something that really works, is cheap and reliable to operate, and something that will alleviate the traumas of QFls and trainee pilots . . .

But that, as most good books say, is Another Story