[youtube]https://youtu.be/mVXwwdXPvNk[/youtube]

I work on one every once in awhile. Such cool airplanes!

This reminds me of a Air & Space article from several years ago:

Legends of Vietnam: Super Tweet
Yeah. The A-37 was small. So was Napoleon.
Looking for Mach-busting splendor in million-dollar wonders from the heavies of the U.S. military-industrial complex? This ain't it. The A-37 Dragonfly was a waist-high, subsonic light attack aircraft that could lift its own weight in fuel and armaments, built by a manufacturer known for civilian pleasure craft...

Are there any on the warbird circuit?

Not sure. I think Charlie was going to start taking 921 to shows.

http://supertweet.com/

I always thought the Tweet looked like a fun plane to civilian-ize after the military was done. Bud Davisson agrees::
http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepCessnaT-37.html

Other than the noise, the big problem is the almost incredible fuel inefficiency. So much fuel for so little performance (by air force standards)

You might as well fly a CJ3 and take 6 people and luggage with you, for the fuel cost of a Tweet. And make 3x the fuel stops in The Tweet. It’s just not anything like a practical plane, unless you’re Uncle Sam .

I hadn't thought of it from a practical perspective e but the numbers basically the engines (and fuel burn!) of an early 20-series Lear in a 400 knot two-seater with ~400 mile legs.

But... the ramp appeal!

("Are those REAL guns??")

I hadn't thought of it from a practical perspective e but the numbers basically the engines (and fuel burn!) of an early 20-series Lear in a 400 knot two-seater with ~400 mile legs.

But... the ramp appeal!

("Are those REAL guns??")

I got a right seat ride in an Air Guard A-37 in about 1975. Acceleration was better than the stock Tweet but nothing spectacular. We had four full drop tanks, practice bombs and the mini-gun. IIRC we got a dozen or so passes on the Avon Park Range just east of KAGR. We hit bingo to return to MacDill when the drops were empty and we switched to internal fuel. It’s about 70nm from Avon Park back to MacDill.

An even better idea for a civilian Tweet would be to re-engine a stock T-37 with a couple small turbofans in the 1200 lb thrust range. You’d get a 30% increase in thrust with half the fuel burn. Yank out all the heavy military gear, put into modern avionics and comfortable seats and you have a nice toy. The avionics bay in the nose would be empty and make a great baggage compartment.

I've always said if I were giving rides for fun in a mil jet that I've flown it would hands down be the Tweet.

A-37's had (basically) T-38 engines with no AB. Nice thrust increase but then you need to add the external tanks to be able to get anywhere.

Dang that little bird was fun to fly though!

I’m holding out for a Scorpion...

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all ... a-scorpion

I flew it on a USAF exchange tour. It was known as the Thundersqueak. Over the crew lounge it said: In it’s heart, it’s still a Cessna.
Fun airplane - nearly 100% dispatch rate.

Cessna did prototype a civilian version of the Tweet called the Cessna 407.

https://www.machdiamonds.com/cessna407.html

I got a right seat ride in an Air Guard A-37 in about 1975. Acceleration was better than the stock Tweet but nothing spectacular. We had four full drop tanks, practice bombs and the mini-gun. IIRC we got a dozen or so passes on the Avon Park Range just east of KAGR. We hit bingo to return to MacDill when the drops were empty and we switched to internal fuel. It’s about 70nm from Avon Park back to MacDill.

An even better idea for a civilian Tweet would be to re-engine a stock T-37 with a couple small turbofans in the 1200 lb thrust range. You’d get a 30% increase in thrust with half the fuel burn. Yank out all the heavy military gear, put into modern avionics and comfortable seats and you have a nice toy. The avionics bay in the nose would be empty and make a great baggage compartment.

The Cessna 407 looks like it would have been a whole lot of fun. Who knew that Cessna had a VLJ before VLJs were a thing!?