Avweb: T-3's crushed

[GAHorn]

>>> T-3 Trainers Crushed, Melted, Shredded

AIR FORCE "SALVAGE" METHOD RAPPED
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193218)
The flying fraternity and sorority in the San Antonio area is
collectively shaking its head at what some are describing as a
senseless waste of tax dollars with the destruction of 110
piston-single aircraft. As AVweb told you in its Sept. 15 Audiocast
(http://www.avweb.com/podcast/podcast/193216-1.html), the T-3 Slingsby
Firefly
(http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20p ... irefly.htm) pilot
screening aircraft, virtually all of which were in flying condition
when they were mothballed nine years ago, were smashed to pieces by
heavy equipment at Hondo Airport last week. According to Air Force
spokesman Capt. Gideon McClure, the military's term for the systematic
destruction of the aircraft is "salvage in place." The Air Force paid
more than $32 million for the planes and the best it can hope for from
the destruction work is that it won't cost any more.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193218

NOTHING SAVED
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193219)
It doesn't appear anyone had any hope of the aircraft flying again.
They were outfitted to military specifications and the Air Force
estimated that converting them to civilian standards and fixing the
effects of nine years of neglect would cost upward of $100,000 per
plane. But what local pilots couldn't understand was why the airframes
went to the crusher with all their radios, instruments, wheels, tires,
brakes, seats and everything else where Slingsby put them, including
the Lycoming AEIO-540 engine. Norris Warner, president of the
Southwest Regional Fly-In held annually at Hondo, said his group tried
to recoup some of the value of the aircraft through a salvage
proposal.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193219

FATAL CRASHES, FUEL PROBLEMS LED TO GROUNDING
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193220)
The T-3s were purchased as part of a program to save money on initial
flight training by the Air Force. The fully aerobatic, relatively
high-performance aircraft allowed the Air Force to expose
flight-training prospects to the twists and turns of military flying
at relatively low cost to make sure they could handle the larger, more
powerful primary flight training aircraft. But, according to
GlobalSecurity.org
(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... ft/t-3.htm), the
T-3s were plagued by an apparent fuel problem that would cause the
engine to quit when it was throttled back in flight. It happened 66
times on takeoff or landing. Three instructors and three students were
killed in three crashes that don't appear to be related to the fuel
fault. There were also 10 groundings of 57 aircraft for engine and
brake problems.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193220

[Robert Eilers]

Let's all hope our gevernment in all it's infinite wisdom does not decide to do the same thing with every aircraft over 50 years old!