Temco TT
| Temco TT-1 Pinto | |
|---|---|
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| Type: | Trainer aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 26, 1956 |
| Commissioning: |
1959 |
| Number of pieces: |
15th |
The Temco TT Pinto (trade name Model 51) was a two-seat jet-powered trainer aircraft built for the United States Navy by Temco Aircraft from Dallas , Texas.
construction and development
The Temco "Model 51" was initially offered to the US Air Force in response to the tender for a jet-powered trainer aircraft, which the Cessna T-37 Tweet won. The official company name for the Model 51 was "Pinto".
The Pinto was a middle-decker with nose wheel landing gear and closed cockpit in tandem configuration, powered by a Continental Motors J69-T-9 (license replica of the Turbomeca Marboré ) jet engine . The use of weapons was not intended.
The Pinto had modern equipment, including ejection seats, a liquid oxygen system and air brakes. Although the flight characteristics were described as “good”, the overall performance of the machine was classified as “inadequate” because it was slightly underpowered.
After the first flight in 1956, the prototype was taken to the Naval Air Test Center (NATC) Patuxent River to take part in a comparison flight with the Beech Model 73 Jet Mentor . A total of 14 other aircraft were manufactured between 1955 and 1957, which now bore the designation TT-1.
Great pinto
In 1968, Allen Paulson, chairman of California Airmotive / American Jet Industries, bought a pinto from excess inventory and installed a CJ-610 engine that delivered more than three times the thrust but weighed only 9.1 kg more. The machine, which was now also developed for the COIN role ( counterinsurgency ), was called the "Super Pinto". The machine's performance improved enormously, but the production effort prevented it from being marketed. Nevertheless, due to the improved flight characteristics, all but one of the machines were converted to the new “Super Pinto” standard.
Ezell Aviation carried out further modifications, such as the installation of the J85 engine and the increase of the internal fuel supply to 1450 liters. The cruise speed increased to 350 knots, the top speed increased to 435 knots, and the rate of climb was 10,000 feet per minute. New rudders and auxiliary flaps were installed and the air intakes modified. New avionics and improved hydraulic systems were also part of the conversion program.
commitment
The Pintos served in 1959 with the Air Training Command in Pensacola (Florida) and were used to investigate whether a jet aircraft was suitable for basic aviation training.
Pilot candidate ER Clark made his first solo flight in a TT-1 in March 1959. He was the first student pilot in the history of naval aviation to make the first solo flight in a jet aircraft without first being trained on a propeller plane.
The pintos were decommissioned in late 1960 and sold as surplus stock.
Models
- TT-1 pinto
- Second seat trainer aircraft
- Great pinto
- TT Pinto with General Electric J85 and increased fuel capacity
Users
Technical data (TT-1)
Crew: 2
Length: 9.38 m
Wing extension: 9.15 m
Height: 3.33 m
Max. Takeoff weight: 1.966 kg
Engine: Continental Motors J69-T-9
Thrust: 4.57 kN
Max. Speed: 300 knots
Operational radius: 725 km
Service ceiling: 32,200 ft
Rate of climb: 1,900 ft / min
Similar patterns
- T-37 tweet
- A-37 Dragonfly
- PZL TS-11 Iskra
- bibliography
- Dillon, Mike: "Will Lovely Loser Become Super Winner?" Air Progress Vol. 24, no.3, March 1969.
- Taylor, Michael JH: Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation (Vol. 5) . Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1980. ISBN 0-7106-0710-5 .
