T-1, the Air Force’s prototype C-17 transport, retired to the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, ending a 21-year testing career at Edwards AFB, Calif. The airplane arrived in Dayton on April 25. “This aircraft will serve as the representative C-17 airframe in the museum’s collection, allowing us to share with the public more of the story of the demanding airlift missions facing today’s Air Force,” said museum director John Hudson. McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) workers essentially fabricated T-1 by hand to support a five-year developmental test and evaluation program, according to museum officials. Successively rebuilt, the aircraft exceeded its design life by four times while supporting various test programs since its maiden flight in September 1991. In addition to test support, the aircraft sidelined as a film star, appearing in a bunch of Hollywood films during its service life. After decommissioning, T-1 is slated to join the museum’s outdoor airpark this summer, said the officials. (Dayton report by Sarah Swan)
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge between undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. It's comments…