Looks like the minigun. Refueling probe was on the port side.

Another saying from my Air Force days a long time ago:

There were fast movers (F-4's, F-105's and other jet fighters.)

There were slow movers (O-1's, O-2's, helicopters, etc.)

The ones in between (A-37's, OV-10's, A-10's later) were half-fast movers (say it quick).

Aha. That makes more sense.

I found a couple of other pics that show the probe was actually mounted on the centerline. I didn’t notice until just now that the plumbing was on the surface.

Previous photo rotated

Maybe there was more than one configuration. ISTR fuel lines from the probe running back external to the fuselage below the left cockpit sill.

It's absolutely criminal that the DOD did not make the T37s (and the T34s) available on the civilian market when they were retired.

Some of those old T-34Cs had OCF recovery issues. Years of being used as primary trainers (more like dog years) and it was hard to get them rigged straight. So there was some liability there (liability in the broad sense, not the “sue the government” sense). You and I are both retired so neither of us has access to the naval air safety archives, suffice to say it wasn’t pretty.

I can’t see the beloved Tweet fleet being much different in this way- similar vintage, mission, hours.

That said, I am certain that there is a certain kind of buyer out there who would provide those kinds of airframes the TLC they need to fly well. 99% of the warbird community and their accomplishments is clear evidence to that.


And all that said, I would still LOVE to see either of those airplanes roll up to an FBO and crack the canopy.

Some of those old T-34Cs had OCF recovery issues. Years of being used as primary trainers (more like dog years) and it was hard to get them rigged straight. So there was some liability there (liability in the broad sense, not the “sue the government” sense). You and I are both retired so neither of us has access to the naval air safety archives, suffice to say it wasn’t pretty.

I can’t see the beloved Tweet fleet being much different in this way- similar vintage, mission, hours.

That said, I am certain that there is a certain kind of buyer out there who would provide those kinds of airframes the TLC they need to fly well. 99% of the warbird community and their accomplishments is clear evidence to that.


And all that said, I would still LOVE to see either of those airplanes roll up to an FBO and crack the canopy.

Since 87921 was a South Vietnamese aircraft, it was not delivered with an air fueling probe.

As for the 7.62 gun, it held 1,500 rounds and could fire at a rate of 3,000 rounds per minute. I'm told it wasn't that effective, and was used primarily for strafing troops in the open.

I hear ya. It’s a stark difference from the postwar era and how easily you could buy surplus airplanes back then. The vast majority of owners have done a really great job managing the issues that come part-and-parcel with maintaining that living history- and I’m thrilled to see these latest pics of Huggy’s piece of living history.

Some of those old T-34Cs had OCF recovery issues. Years of being used as primary trainers (more like dog years) and it was hard to get them rigged straight. So there was some liability there (liability in the broad sense, not the “sue the government” sense). You and I are both retired so neither of us has access to the naval air safety archives, suffice to say it wasn’t pretty.

I can’t see the beloved Tweet fleet being much different in this way- similar vintage, mission, hours.

That said, I am certain that there is a certain kind of buyer out there who would provide those kinds of airframes the TLC they need to fly well. 99% of the warbird community and their accomplishments is clear evidence to that.


And all that said, I would still LOVE to see either of those airplanes roll up to an FBO and crack the canopy.

Some of those old T-34Cs had OCF recovery issues. Years of being used as primary trainers (more like dog years) and it was hard to get them rigged straight. So there was some liability there (liability in the broad sense, not the “sue the government” sense). You and I are both retired so neither of us has access to the naval air safety archives, suffice to say it wasn’t pretty.

I can’t see the beloved Tweet fleet being much different in this way- similar vintage, mission, hours.

That said, I am certain that there is a certain kind of buyer out there who would provide those kinds of airframes the TLC they need to fly well. 99% of the warbird community and their accomplishments is clear evidence to that.


And all that said, I would still LOVE to see either of those airplanes roll up to an FBO and crack the canopy.[/quote]

I can't imagine that the liability would be much greater than warplanes that had bullet-holes. Obviously, I think they should be held to appropriate airworthiness standards, but I hope that, in 30 years, we make a better decision with the T-6s.[/quote]

I’m pretty sure the Tweets were still structurally sound (I don’t have any special knowledge so I could be wrong). They are massively overbuilt. You could land it gear up in the morning and maintenance would have it flying that afternoon. The T6 is so solidly built that the USAF is already referring to it as worn out. I wouldn’t expect DOD to make any future retired military aircraft available as surplus.

The DOD will do what Congress tells them to do, and I think AOPA should work on a bill that requires military trainers to be made available to the public for purchase after their retirement. There is no reason we cannot keep these airplanes flying the same way we have with the warbirds of yesteryear.

Sure was fun to shoot, though!

It's been a few months, but we took 87921 to Madison, WI for the 115th Fighter Wing's anniversary celebration and to celebrate their acquisition of the F-35.

They wanted aircraft from their unit's past... and we were happy to oblige.

Three hops to get there, and three hops to St George UT to store it for the winter. The jet flew flawlessly. Charlie Largay's restoration of this rare American warbird is really an exceptional story... both the history of the jet and his hard work to get it flying.