Air Force·Technology obsolescence·In Memoriam
T-37 Tweet Primary Jet Trainer Pipeline
6,000-pound dog whistle
Served: 1957–2009
The side-by-side T-37B was every USAF pilot's first jet for over 50 years — the primary phase of Undergraduate Pilot Training, where the wash-out cuts happened.
The Story
More than 78,000 USAF pilots took their first jet flight in the Tweet. The "dog whistle" nickname came from the J69 turbojet's intake harmonic — neighbors near training bases could hear UPT classes from miles away.
Epitaph
“78,000 first jets. 52 years of noise complaints.”
Sources
- Wikipedia — Cessna T-37 Tweeten.wikipedia.org