Posted on 09/20/2018 11:20:51 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
A T-6 Texan trainer from Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph crashed roughly 30 miles from the base near Rolling Oaks Mall, Air Education and Training Command officials said Tuesday.
“The crew ejected and is safe with minor injuries reported at the site,” AETC said in a Facebook post.
“There were no civilian casualties, and the extent of damage to property has not been assessed,” officials said.
Members from the base’s fire and safety units from the 12th Flying Training Wing responded to the incident alongside local responders, the announcement said.
Two parachutes were seen deploying from the aircraft, indicating the airmen ejected prior to the crash, Col. Dedra Witham, AETC spokeswoman, told reporters during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber conference.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’m glad the Crew punched out safely. Traffic is gonna be a mess at this hour, bad spot. Like there is a good spot/time to eject.
I used to live in UC just behind the Home Depot. About as in the Flight Path as one can be. Sitting in the backyard and could have hit them with a rock on Final.
Flights in and out, Touch and Go’s all week long. Randolph AFB is a busy place on a normal day.
Was always cool when the Airshow was going on. Asleep in bed and during a warm up somebody came over the house just shy of Afterburner, I thought the Windows were going shatter ! I’m laying in bed thinking I should get up and go to the Show when this happens. As I’m thinking about the Sounds of Freedom My Girlfriend is suddenly Sitting Bolt upright in bed screaming “WHAT THE H&!! WAS THAT ?!?!”
As We arrived at the Edge of the Static Displays the Golden Knights are jumping and we watched as one Jumpers Main got snarled and He cut away then poped the Reserve and by then He was too low and it failed to fully deploy. He went onto the trees and there was a rush of Recovery Crews headed that way. Never found out how He faired.
Hey, that’s a great pic.
That’s good info!
It is a new airframe. Replaced the T-37 at UPT.
Spins are standard training. You explore the envelope of the aircraft and sometimes things happen. Spins are fun and helpful in developing air sense and skills to fly the aircraft out of most anything.
No idea why this happened, but we shall hear more in a few more days.
Funny but slightly long story:
In the 80’s, while at RAFB training to be an IP, a friend of mine took a T-38 up into the goo (foggy day) to conduct a weather check, to see if the areas were usable for training flights.
There was too much weather so they called the SOF, reported suggesting cancel the first go, and started to RTB.
On final approach in the goo/weather my friend put the gear handle down and nothing happened. No gear, except for the left gear. That is a landing configuration that is dangerous and should not be attempted. . .you will tumble and die.
My friend executed a go-around, went to the holding area to do checklist items to try and get the gear to come down.
Jiggling the jet, inverted and plus-minus G movements, even shutting down the engine that powers the hydraulics to operate the gear.
No luck.
My friend unstrapped and reached under the dash so he could pull the manual gear release handle. Imagine his shock when the cable started to come out but then the cable abruptly snapped and the cable retracted into the front panel under the instrument panel. Argh.
So he (and the other IP with him) made ready to bail. . .went to the controlled bailout area, stowed loose gear and called the SOF that they were bailing in a minute.
They had been flying for about half hour and they pointed the jet towards the bailout point.
They ejected and all went smooth, They could not see each other but being in the goo helped amplify their voices.
They were feeling pretty good until they heard the ‘thumpa-thumpa-whop-whop sound of helicopter blades that sounded like the helo was right below them.
While they floated down apparently the helo got to the bailout area before they did and was flying just under the cloud cover. Oh no. . . as my friend says, all he could think about was a frog in a blender.
Luckily they popped out of the goo about a quarter mile from the helo. Massive relief. . .whew.
They have done it with the T-6, A-10, C-17 and F-35. Nostalgia maybe. I don’t really know why.
two newest members of the Martin-Baker Fan Club
They are used for undergraduate pilot training, as well as RPA (drone) pilot training. I am not 💯% sure about instructor pilots, but unless it’s changed, since I was in the USAF, instructors will only train in the T-6 if they will be instructors IN the T-6. If they will be T-38 instructors, then they train in the T-38. My son will soon be flying the T-6, as he is going into RPA pilot training.
The new students will train first in the T-6. The fighter pilots will train in the T-38 and learn fighter tactics and formation flying before the head to their airframe training.
The heavy aircraft pilots will train in the T-1 before they move to their airframe.
We do this at several airbases thru AETC.
Like the USS Jimmy Carter, or the USS Richard Russell?
PIT for future T-6 IPs is at Randolph AFB.
Is your son going to MQ-9s, or does he know yet?
I wonder what criteria they use for choosing a name.
Hey, congrats Mark17 and to your son of course.
“It happens.”
And thus, the reason for my error. It seemed to have offended you, and for that, I apologize.
I really loved the old WW2 T-6 and so I had an immediate reaction when I read the headline. It was a nice plane, and a joy to fly. Just today on “Pawn Stars” there was a guy selling a fully restored one for $150,000. Rick only wanted to pay $140,000 and let it go.
So you see, THAT plane was on my mind when I read the headline.
Yeah. I realize that now. I was thinking of the WW2 model when I posted.
Aha! That’s the one!
Nostalgia is cool. But I hope they don’t give some new plane this name:
“P-51 Mustang.”
That would be unfortunate.
Yes, there are only 3 undergraduate pilot training bases now. DLF (Laughlin) END (Vance) and CBM (Columbus) RPA pilots fly the T-6 at RND (Randolph) I would say there is a better than even chance that the student pilot of this T-1 that crashed, is in RPA training. I was at Laughlin for 9 years. At that time, PIT was also at Randolph, but I am not sure if it still is.
They are used for undergraduate pilot training, as well as RPA (drone) pilot training
More precisely, the RPA guys will be trained in the T-6 simulator.
He doesn’t know yet. As far as I know, the Predator has been retired. So all that’s left is Reaper or Global Hawk. I think the elites get Global Hawk, so I would say, the chances are, he will get the Reaper. That would be OK with him, since he wants to fly an armed aircraft. He thinks reconnaissance only aircraft, are for the birds. As far as I know, however, his job is to fly the aircraft, and it’s the enlisted guy sitting next to him, that fires the weapons, but that order comes from way above their pay grade.
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