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| 1974
brought with it a fuel crisis and as a result a new aircraft for
the team, the sleek, swift and highly maneuverable Northrop
T-38A Talon, the Air Force’s first supersonic trainer. |
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Economically,
the T-38 was unmatched. Five T-38s used the same amount of fuel
needed for one F-4 Phantom, and fewer people and less equipment
were required to maintain the aircraft.
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Although the Talon did not fulfill the Thunderbird
tradition of flying front-line jet fighters, it did meet the
criteria of demonstrating the capabilities of a prominent Air
Force aircraft.
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The
T-38A was used throughout the Air Force during this time period
in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of
operation, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional
safety record. |
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| In
fact, Air Force fighter pilots still use this aircraft during
undergraduate pilot training today. |
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In
honor of the nation’s 200th birthday in 1976, the Thunderbirds
were designated as the official United States Bicentennial
Organization.
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For the Bicentennial year only, the aircraft numbers
were moved to the fuselage and the Bicentennial symbol replaced
the numbers on the tail.
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In
1983, the team returned to the tradition of flying a premier
fighter aircraft; transitioning to the General Dynamics, later
Lockheed Martin’s, F-16A Fighting Falcon.
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To ready the F-16 involved removing the radar and
internally mounted 20mm cannon and installing a smoke-generating
system.
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