86th Flying Training Squadron Says Goodbye to 90’s Trainer

The 86th Flying Training Squadron, based at the Texas Laughlin Air Force Base, sent off its final T-1A Jayhawk trainer in a five-plane flyover on December 17. This follows over 30 years of service for the aircraft at Laughlin AFB.

Laughlin AFB took delivery of its first T-1A thirty-one years ago on November 19, 1993. The 86th FTS, under the 47th Flying Training Wing, received its last Jayhawk less than two years later on January 15, 1995.

The trainer is used to prepare students to fly larger Air Force machines, like the C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, and KC-125 Stratotanker. Almost two-thirds of current USAF pilots conducted flight training on the T-1A in its more than three decades of service. In its final year at Laughlin AFB, the aircraft was used for over 15,000 hours of long-range navigation practice.

“The T-1A is an excellent plane, it prepared pilots for the next plane they would be moving on to,” expressed Capt. Nickolas Johnson, chief of operations for the 86th FTS. “It gives pilots the opportunity to train on crew resource management, which is what they will do on the heavier aircraft.”

To celebrate the Jayhawk’s extensive legacy, Laughlin AFB hosted several sendoff activities. These allowed airmen to participate in flight simulator sessions and sign their names on the jet before it departed for the last time.

When the time came to say goodbye, the 86th FTS held a five-plane flyover consisting of the last T-1A, number 346, along with two T-6A Texan IIs and two T-38C Talons. The jets passed over the base twice before the T-6As and T-38Cs split off, leaving the T-1A to continue its journey to “The Boneyard” at Arizona’s Davis-Mothan Air Force Base.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” stated 86th FTS commander Lt. Col Nathan Hedden. “All of the [pilots] who have done this before, have left a legacy of excellent performance and excellent training. This unit has offered so much to the Air Force.”

The Air Force decided to move out the T-1s before they meet the end of their expected service life in order to avoid expensive overhauls, freeing up funding and instructors for higher-priority aircraft.

FMI: www.laughlin.af.mil