By Lt. John Supple, Chief of Naval Air Training Public Affairs
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- Naval Aviators and local leaders joined together aboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to welcome the newest training aircraft to Training Air Wing 4, July 26.
The first two T-6B Texan II aircraft arrived in front of a hangar full of naval officers and guests, signaling the official start of the turnover from the T-34C Turbo Mentor to the T-6B for primary flight training at Training Air Wing 4.
The event featured a fly-by of the new aircraft, arrival of the T-6Bs to the hangar, brief speeches, a cake cutting at the reception, and a demonstration of the T-6 simulators. Rear Adm. William Sizemore, the chief of Naval Air Training Command, served as the featured speaker.
At the ceremony, Sizemore said that more than 30 years ago, the T-34C ushered the Navy air training from piston age into the jet age, and that the T-6B is another great advancement.
"The all-digital T-6B is a quantum leap over the T-34C and is the perfect aircraft to train and introduce our future naval aviators to the digital age and all-glass cockpit aircraft already in our advance pipelines and in the fleet," Sizemore said.
The T-6B, along with its state-of-the-art visual simulators and computer aided academics will enable the Navy to train naval aviators more efficiently, more effectively, and safer than ever before. And, while the simulators will not replace training in the air, it will complement and better prepare student naval aviators to make their airborne training more effective and more productive, explained Sizemore.
Initially, the new aircraft will be used for training instructor pilots. Student pilots from Training Squadron 27 are expected to begin flying the new aircraft early next year.