Aircraft Quiz #94

[Doug Robertson]

One of the current USA Military Services uses a stock production civil aircraft certificated by the FAA for some of its ab initio military flight training. Surprised?

1. Which USA military service?

2. Specific basing location of the flight training?

3a. Make and 3b. model of the civil aircraft?

4a. Engine designation? and 4B. Horsepower?

5. Number of seats in the training aircraft?

6. Current as of June 2017 exact number of aircraft in this specific training fleet?

7. What is the Military Services' specific T- number designation for this trainer aircraft?

8. BONUS for Designed Flying Hours per training aircraft?

NOTE: This aircraft is subject to and limited to FAA-mandated upgrades, airworthiness compliance mods and simulator updates.

[SunvisorFlyer]

It seems the military changes its trainer aircraft every few years, but I think this is current.

1. US Air Force

2. Colorado Springs, CO

3a. Cirrus SR20

4a. Continental IO-360-ES and 4B. 200 hp

5. 2 seats

6. 25 aircraft

7. T-53A

8. 400 hours per year per aircraft?

[Doug Robertson]

Congratulations on getting this oddball quiz mainly correct!

My answers differ only on a few of the questions. Source of quiz was AIR FORCE Magazine USAF Almanac 2017 published June 2017. 156 pages of an annual everything about our USAF.

No. 1 answer was US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs-several other USAF entities in the Springs-Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain AFS, etc. I flew into and out of Colorado Springs for about 4 years in the 1980s.

No. 5 answer was two seats side by side plus 3 rear seats, making 5 stated total seats in the SR20. The rear 3 are called passengers. The trainer does have the CAPS, Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. Max total weight for takeoff was given as 3,050 lb.

No. 6 answer was inventory 24 aircraft as of the stated date vice 25.

No. 8 may have been an ambiguous question-their answer was 12,000 hours of operational flight life of each SR20/T-53A airframe. I don't know that Cirrus has put any such life on the SR20 airframe, but the USAF did-12,000 hours.

Thank you again for basically getting the quiz right!