NASA920

TangoWhiskey said:
Just hear "NASA Niner Two Zero" check in with Alliance Tower for landing.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA920

Would that be an astronaut keeping flight currency?
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NASA doesn't have astronauts anymore! LOL

Likely a research aircraft. Don't forget that they run the Dryden Flight Research Center. They also fly SOFIA, and a bunch of other project too, I'm sure.

Of course, since this is a T38, probably not.
 
gprellwitz said:
NASA doesn't have astronauts anymore! LOL
Click to expand...

DOH!

gprellwitz said:
Likely a research aircraft. Don't forget that they run the Dryden Flight Research Center. They also fly SOFIA, and a bunch of other project too, I'm sure.

Of course, since this is a T38, probably not.
Click to expand...

What's really cool is his climb rate at the beginning of this trip:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA920/history/20120229/1817Z/KEFD/KAFW/tracklog

I think he just went right over the top of Houston's Class Bravo!
 
The T38's out of Ellington are primarily the astronauts - it's how they get around :). Their flights are currency/training, going to other NASA facilities, going to contractor facilities, speaking/presentation engagements, etc.

Any given day during the week, it's fun to see all the different places they fly to and back.
 
From WikiPedia:
NASA operates a fleet of 32 T-38 aircraft[5] and uses the aircraft as a jet trainer for its astronauts, as well as a chase plane. Its fleet is housed primarily at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. NASA’s internal projections show the number of operational jet trainers falling to 16 by 2015. The agency spends between $25 million and $30 million annually to fly and maintain the T-38s.[6]
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And he was doing a leisurely climb at less than 5000fpm. Again per WikiPedia, the specs are:
Rate of climb: 33,600 ft/min (170.7 m/s)
 
IIRC, if you kick in the ABs on a T-38, you'll be landing a few minutes later with fumes in the tank.

Jeff
 
Dad was an IP in T-38's @ Randolph back in the 60's. Did lots of jet training with foriegn national pilots like the local flight schools are doing for the growing Asian GA market.

One of his favorite stories was told to me when I shared with him my lesson on unusual attitudes.

The student was in the back cockpit with the canopy totally blacked out for the instrument unusual attitude lesson. Dad asked him to close his eyes, and then did several maneuvers to disorientate the student, ending with straight and level flight..... inverted.

He told the student to open his eyes and that it was "his airplane." The student totally misinterpreted the instruments, pushed to military power and "pulled back", putting them into a dive.

Dad said they did a really nice split-S and busted the hard deck by quite a bit before they were back in normal straight and level flight.
 
gprellwitz said:
NASA doesn't have astronauts anymore! LOL

Likely a research aircraft. Don't forget that they run the Dryden Flight Research Center. They also fly SOFIA, and a bunch of other project too, I'm sure.

Of course, since this is a T38, probably not.
Click to expand...
For the record, NASA does still have astronauts, and they do still fly the T-38s regularly. Seems as if most Americans are unaware that there is an international space station in orbit that has been continually staffed by 2-6 crewmembers (at least one of whom is always an American) onboard since late 2000.

In fact, NASA just had a call for new astronauts, but the application window closed in January.
 
gprellwitz said:
NASA doesn't have astronauts anymore! LOL
Click to expand...

Yes they do. And the next class of ASCANs are to be selected in 2013.

NASA 920 is one of JSC's t-38's at KEFD. Most likely a Pilot or Mission Specialist. Or one of their other aircraft typed pilots maintaining a dual currency.
 
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