# Which is your favourite twoseater (school) jet?



## Lucky13 (Oct 9, 2011)

This is definitely one of mine! The SK 35 C version of Draken......


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## buffnut453 (Oct 9, 2011)

Folland Gnat. First and always, ever since the Red Arrows flew straight over my head at my first airshow (Woodford) when I was six. It's an aircraft you strap on rather than climb into but I've always loved its diminutive lines. A true classic!


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 12, 2011)

L29 for me - an aircraft that I "met" by fate and it has changed my life for ever


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## tyrodtom (Oct 12, 2011)

The only one i've ever been in, a T-37.

Actually it was a A-37, but that's close. On a maintenance check flight, and he let me have the controls for maybe a minute.

Other than a jet airliner, that's the fastest i've ever been in the air.


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## A4K (Oct 12, 2011)

No one particular favourite, but love the BAC Strikemaster, Aermacchi MB-338CB, and BAe Hawk trainers for modern trainers. WW II, why the Me 262B-1a/U2 of course...


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## Airframes (Oct 13, 2011)

I go for the Gnat too - lovely looking, small and agile.


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## vikingBerserker (Oct 13, 2011)

My all time favorite fighter is the F-15, so I'll have to go with the F-15E.

I think the T-37/A-37 would be fun to fly.


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## tyrodtom (Oct 13, 2011)

Between that A-37 and a C-141, the only two military jets i've ever been in.

The USAF Capt., I was a Army E-5, gave me about a 5 min. class in oxygen mask and ejection seat use, and off we flew. About 20 minutes. Never got over 15,000 ft or 300 kts. But it was one of those flights I still remember well.


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## nuuumannn (Oct 28, 2011)

FLYBOYJ, that's a real smart looking L-29 you have there; you look as pleased as punch. 

Gotta say though, a two-seat Draken would be an awesome toy. A bit thirsty, I think. 

A4K, what about a TA-4K? There's still a handful at Woodbourne awaiting disposal...


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 28, 2011)

nuuumannn said:


> FLYBOYJ, that's a real smart looking L-29 you have there; you look as pleased as punch.



Thanks! That belonged to a family friend - got to maintain and fly it for a while. Had about 30 hours in it. I was hoping to get my L29 type rating but due to a family tragedy, that all changed. I still get to fly in them once and a while, great simple jet to train and fly in.


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## A4K (Oct 28, 2011)

nuuumannn said:


> A4K, what about a TA-4K? There's still a handful at Woodbourne awaiting disposal...



Beautiful shot mate, thanks! Yep, do love the TA-4K aswell, though only in the final paint scheme, as pictured. (The straight A-4 looks beautiful in ANY scheme!!!  )

Btw, will be doing a 1:32 TA-4K for the Feb 2012 'Your favourite aircraft' Group Build - your pic will come in handy, thanks!


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## DBII (Oct 28, 2011)

Dornier Alpha Jet, I use to get mad at them making attack runs at my platoon during REFORGER. 

DBII


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## Glider (Oct 28, 2011)

The Hunter T7/8 has to be the best of them all, but I admit to being a little biased as its the only fast jet that I have any experience in.


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## imalko (Oct 28, 2011)

For me it's G-4 Super Galeb.


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## vanir (Oct 29, 2011)

MiG-25PU conversion trainer. I'd wear the engines out in a year but that's okay, probably be in prison for mach-ing around everywhere by then.


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## nuuumannn (Oct 30, 2011)

A4K said:


> Beautiful shot mate, thanks! Yep, do love the TA-4K aswell, though only in the final paint scheme, as pictured. (The straight A-4 looks beautiful in ANY scheme!!!  )
> 
> Btw, will be doing a 1:32 TA-4K for the Feb 2012 'Your favourite aircraft' Group Build - your pic will come in handy, thanks!



No worries. When I was at WB I managed to reel off a few images, although if I had been caught I'm sure I would have gotten a scalping. Let me know if you need any views from different angles and I'll post them.


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## evangilder (Oct 30, 2011)

I love the Alpha Jet and the T-38 Talon.


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 30, 2011)

I would look at this thread in two segments - those trainers that were developed from fighters and those designed as trainers from the ground up


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## parsifal (Oct 30, 2011)

surprised no-one has mentioned the Macchi series as yet. I dont have a favourite, but I always thought the mascchis were good at what they were designed for.

The hawk fighters trainers are also worth a mention I think


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## pbfoot (Oct 30, 2011)

can't overlook the T33 has there been a longer serving alternative? plus she has great lines , but I'm biased after working with them and seeing them for much of my life


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 30, 2011)

T-33 my second fav. Loved my flights in her


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## A4K (Oct 31, 2011)

Nuuumannn...a big YES PLEASE to that! (Btw, how did you get on base? I'm ex-WB myself)

Eric...what's with that Alpha jet paintscheme?? Someone playing with photoshop?

Parsifal...I mentioned the Aermaachi MB339CB...not quite a Skyhawk, but great looking aircraft


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## parsifal (Oct 31, 2011)

Why didnt the Kiwis purchase the Hawk when they retired their Skyhawks. some things i just dont understand. NZ could afford the hawk, they are not that expensive per copy.....


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## A4K (Oct 31, 2011)

Unfortunately our Government holds the view that we're so remote from everyone, no-one's going to bother attacking us. (We're not scared of you Aussie yobbos!  )

Seriously though, we've had running defence cuts since the early '90s (I was one of 1100 Defence personnel who lost their jobs in the '92 defence cuts). 
The Skyhawks were deemed too old to keep upgrading, and negotiations were made in 2001 to rent F-16s, before the Government decided it was all too expensive and pulled the plug on the entire Strike Wing. 
The Skyhawks have been a point of controversy among various parties (predominantly the US military), with the result that they are still sitting on the spot 10 years later rusting away...


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 31, 2011)

A4K said:


> Unfortunately our Government holds the view that we're so remote from everyone, no-one's going to bother attacking us. (We're not scared of you Aussie yobbos!  )
> 
> Seriously though, we've had running defence cuts since the early '90s (I was one of 1100 Defence personnel who lost their jobs in the '92 defence cuts).
> The Skyhawks were deemed too old to keep upgrading, and negotiations were made in 2001 to rent F-16s, before the Government decided it was all too expensive and pulled the plug on the entire Strike Wing.
> Our 10 year old Aermaachi MB 339CBs were sold off pretty quickly (to Indonesia), but the Skyhawks have been a point of controversy among various parties (predominantly the US military), with the result that they are still sitting on the spot 10 years later rusting away...



Such a shame. About 15 L-39 ZA's would be perfect!


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## parsifal (Oct 31, 2011)

Even little countries have defence obligations. I can see why it might not be needed to have the latest and greatest in strike fighter technology, but not even having training capabilities with a secondary strike and fighter capability is just too risky for my liking. If a threat does arise, you will not be able to develop any capability for year. You will not any immediate capability at all, even of a limited nature. BAE Hawks would fill that role perfectly....a good trainer, with some secondary fighter and strike capabilities.....and at a cost even a country like ethiopia could afford.


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## nuuumannn (Oct 31, 2011)

Hi A4K, sorry to hear you lost your job with the defence cuts. Wasn't actually in the RNZAF, but was a dirty contractor. I worked on P-3s, among other things.

FLYBOYJ, and Parsifal, yours are not such bad ideas; there have been questions asked about the current government ressurecting a combat force, which is not likely; the real problem is that the expertise that existed in NZ is no longer there. Service personnel from the 'front line' have left NZ in  and are unlikely to come back. 

People have hypothesised that however unlikely, if NZ was to reinstate a combat force, its equipment would be more likely to be a combat capable fast jet trainer rather than a pure combat type. We'll never get a deal as good as the F-16 one ever again.

Recently the NZ govt has decided that the A-4s will go to museums. All the ones that have been allocated are either already at their museums or on their way. The ones that are not are going to be scrapped. The Macchis are going the same way, despite the fleet being in a far better condition than the A-4s were, as they were stored indoors at Ohakea.







This was taken just after a rain storm; I was crouching under the wing of a C-130 when I took it.






Over the course of a weekend after it was announced that the A-4s were going outside, a group of us taped over the gaps and got them ready for spraying with Spraylat. The powers that be figured that storage outside would not be a problem in Marlborough due to the ambient humidity being quite low. Corrosion was always a problem with instrumentation and with the A-4s' cockpits being a sealed bath, they used to fill up with water all the time because the canopies leaked. Lots of issues.











The Kahu upgrade cockpit. This one was used as the demo aircraft for prospective buyers.

I'll post some more tomorrow.


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## nuuumannn (Oct 31, 2011)

I've just realised I'm in danger of hijacking this post! Tomorrow I'll open a new thread on Kiwi A-4s. Sorry


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## FLYBOYJ (Nov 1, 2011)

nuuumannn said:


> I've just realised I'm in danger of hijacking this post! Tomorrow I'll open a new thread on Kiwi A-4s. Sorry


No worries, great information!


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## A4K (Nov 1, 2011)

Wow, some interesting info (and great pics) mate, thanks... and a question: what do you mean about the 'Maachis?  
I've been living abroad since '95, but understood from articles and the net that they were snapped up like hot cakes by Malaysia (not Indonesia as I wrote earlier sorry) for $70 million - what the hell happened?????


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## nuuumannn (Nov 2, 2011)

Hi A4K, no time to post new images today, sorry. I'm going to open a new thread, hopefully tonight after work. Re the Macchis; no deal with the Malays. The NZDF stated that the Macchis were being sold only as part of a lot with the A-4s, not seperately, thus killing the best opportunity we had of getting some return on disbanding the Strike Force. That's what I've heard through the rumour mill.

Later...


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## A4K (Nov 2, 2011)

...If that's true, than they are a bigger pack of idiots than I took them for...    

Apologies Joe and Parsifal for the misinformation. (and many thanks Nuuumannn for the A-4 thread!)

Evan


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## Njaco (Nov 2, 2011)

Never flown in a jet except a 747 that was horrible - once. But if I had my druthers, I've always loved the lines of the T-37.


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