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Author
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Topic: NASA's T-38 jet non-astronaut pilots
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rje71
Member Posts: 17
From: Chelsea, Maine
Registered: Apr 2010
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posted 05-10-2023 06:25 PM
   
I was curious about the NASA T-38 program. Are the astronauts the only ones who fly in them or does the program have other pilots or IP's assigned as well? |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 161
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 05-10-2023 09:16 PM
There are many pilots who fly for the program out of Ellington. Just not sure if they are NASA-hired, or contractor hired. |
rje71
Member Posts: 17
From: Chelsea, Maine
Registered: Apr 2010
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posted 05-11-2023 08:06 AM
So it would be safe to assume then that there were former USAF and USN instructors amongst them. |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1410
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 05-11-2023 08:19 AM
There are what are called NASA research pilots (aka test pilots) who fly out of various NASA facilities like NASA Glenn near Cleveland, Ohio; Armstrong Flight Research Center out at Edwards; and of course Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center in Houston. They are all part of the Flight Operations Division, and as you intimated are all former USAF pilots or naval aviators (Navy and Marine). Many go on to become astronauts (Fred Haise and Neil Armstrong being two examples). Even more rare are the ex-astronauts who become NASA research pilots to finish out their flying careers (C. Gordon Fullerton being one). They fly all the fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft in NASA's inventory, including T-38s. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 50415
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-11-2023 10:44 AM
A good example is active astronaut Bob Hines. Hines was a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserve for 18 years before becoming a research pilot at Johnson Space Center in 2012. He was selected to be an astronaut with Group 22 (2017). As a research pilot, Hines was a T-38 instructor pilot. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1732
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 05-11-2023 02:22 PM
A couple of years ago I encountered Anne McClain at an airport. She was flying in a T-38 rear seat with a NASA pilot who was not an astronaut.A number of astronauts have been selected from the ranks of pilots with the Aircraft Operations Division based at Ellington Field: - Dave Griggs
- Lacey Veach
- Steve Oswald
- Bill Readdy
- Kenneth Cockrell
- Joe Tanner
- Kevin Kregel
- Mark Polansky
- Greg "Ray Jay" Johnson
- Bob Hines
All of them were ex-military pilots hired by NASA for Aircraft Ops before they became astronauts. Many more did not make the move to the Astronaut Office, such as Charles Justiz who applied several times. |
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