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Posted: 6/8/2024 1:47:57 AM EDT
That astronaut died in one today. I searched the plane, wasn't familiar with it.
 800+ miles range Over 300mph top speed Weighed less than 3000lbs... Thing had to be a riot to fly. Anyone have any experience with it? |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 2:21:36 AM EDT
[Last Edit: GunnyG]
[#1]
Originally Posted By ZitiForBreakfast: That astronaut died in one today. I searched the plane, wasn't familiar with it. https://www.airforce-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/09/4-t-34-trainer.jpg 800+ miles range Over 300mph top speed Weighed less than 3000lbs... Thing had to be a riot to fly. Anyone have any experience with it? Certainly, this is a hard loss to our aviation history. AFAIK, all three of his family's museum T-34 were the original version with a recip engine (Continental O-470-13, or IO-520, or IO-550), so max speed was 165 knots.  |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 3:05:14 AM EDT
[#2]
OP, your pic is of a T-34C with the PT-6 turboprop.
Anders was flying a T-34A. Substantial performance difference between the two, although they're both quite fun. |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 3:07:02 AM EDT
[#3]
T-34C has the PT6A turboprop.
IIRC some older versions had problems with wing spar cracking. |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 3:32:20 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FOX_OSCAR_hook: IIRC some older versions had problems with wing spar cracking. About 20 years ago there was a complete meltdown of the T-34's value as a warbird due to the wing spar issue. In the 90s you could find a whole bunch of former military flying club aircraft on the market at pretty cheap prices, but that's definitely not the case today. There's a very available replacement in the spar from the Baron, but the cost of the replacement at the time compared to the acquisition cost of a nice example grounded a whole slew of them. |
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TN, USA
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Posted: 6/8/2024 10:13:12 AM EDT
[#5]
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Posted: 6/8/2024 10:34:18 AM EDT
[Last Edit: SquatchAv8]
[#6]
My gut tells me this was his plan and he tied all the loose ends of his life together before engine start.
I watched my dad slowly die at 87. He had lost all will and dignity after becoming incontinent and unable to lift himself or walk without alot of help. I've told my wife when I see the same writing on the wall for me, I want to go out in the same way..fly for a bit and call it good. |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 2:07:34 PM EDT
[#7]
Originally Posted By ZitiForBreakfast: Thing had to be a riot to fly. Anyone have any experience with it? Your picture is the turboprop version, not the piston engine version. The turboprop was the flight school aircraft for the navy before they switched to the t6, I’m sure many guys here flew it in flight school. I was in An Army unit that had a couple on loan from the navy and flew them a bit. Performance is relative - if you fly piston planes they’re speed demons but if you fly jets they’re the equivalent of a trabant. They’re fun because they’re so simple. Never flew the piston version, it’s presumably similar just with less thrust. |
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Posted: 6/8/2024 9:50:10 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Morgan321: Never flew the piston version, it’s presumably similar just with less thrust. The A model is gutless. The B model a little less so. Both of them are a bundle of fun, even to this ol' jet guy (whose favorite airplane flown is the PT-19). |
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KY, USA
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Posted: 6/14/2024 11:40:39 PM EDT
[#9]
One of my FB friends is an AA 737 CA who has a T-34A, neat to see the pics of him flying it around FL.
Don't think the T-34C was ever sold surplus. |
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Posted: 6/15/2024 7:15:32 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By MattyMattel: Don't think the T-34C was ever sold surplus. None of the US DoD aircraft were sold surplus. The ones flying on the US register are re-imports from Foreign Military Sales (Turkey, IIRC). |
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Posted: 6/15/2024 7:45:22 PM EDT
[#11]
There was one available for rent at NATTC Millington (Memphis) in the late 80's.
My roommate had a private pilot's license and took me along on many rides. The T-34 was fantastic, but it drank a bunch more gas than the Citabria and Cessnas. I do not remember what model it was, but it cruised around 200 knots, which was pretty darn fast for us. |
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Posted: 6/15/2024 11:46:33 PM EDT
[#12]
My first .mil flight was in the T-34C. Great aircraft. My mom called it the bumblebee plane and was mortified when I told her I flew across FL in one.
Crew canopy chords crouch dive pull 
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Posted: 6/16/2024 2:11:07 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FOX_OSCAR_hook: Crew canopy chords crouch dive pull Nice! Still the same method to get out of just about anything without an ejection seat. |
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Posted: 6/16/2024 2:47:37 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By MudEagle: Nice! Still the same method to get out of just about anything without an ejection seat. Hint, the answer is not zero. |
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Posted: 6/16/2024 8:15:11 PM EDT
[#15]
My dad had an A model T-34. Pretty unimpressive performance wise, but still a blast to fly. I've got some time in an IO-550 converted T-34, with the three blade prop, that was a much better performer. I got to fly in from up north down to Amarillo, to Earl Parks shop for paint, back when I was but a lowly Shorts 360 first officer. Still one of the most fun cross country trips I've ever flown.
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USA
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Posted: 6/18/2024 1:20:51 PM EDT
[#16]
I was in Corpus when they transitioned from the T-34s to the T-6II. It was weird seeing less and less of them flying.
I have also seen one too many T-34s up close when they appeared somewhere they were not supposed to be.  The ones the Navy retired were worn out. It was pretty typical for a student/instructor to be told not to exceed scheduled flight times because the airframe time was up upon landing. |
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