Hondo, Texas
February 19th, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S.A.F. Aerial Demo Team to Perform
at The EAA Texas Fly-In

The Randolph Air Force Base T-6A Texan II Aerial Demonstration Team will perform as part of the air show at The EAA Texas Fly-In at Hondo on Saturday, May 13th, 2006.
(view the T-6A website)

The T-6A is the most advanced primary trainer ever flown by the Air Force.

The Air Force uses the T-6A to train Joint Primary Pilot Training students, providing the basic skills necessary to progress to one of four training tracks: the Air Force bomber-fighter or the Navy strike track, the Air Force airlift-tanker or Navy maritime track, the Air Force or Navy turboprop track and the Air Force-Navy helicopter  track.

The aircraft is fully aerobatic and has a pressurized cockpit with an anti-G system, an ejection seat and an advanced avionics package with sunlight-readable liquid crystal displays.

It has more power and twice the range of its predecessor the T-37 while using only half as much fuel.  Its state-of-the-art cockpit will dramatically upgrade the quality of primary flight training, and is a perfect lead-in to the advanced phases of pilot training.

The primary mission of the Air Education and Training Command T-6A Texan II Aerial Demonstration Team is to support Air Force recruiting and retention programs and to reinforce public confidence in the U.S. Air Force through appearances at aerial events such as military and civilian sponsored air shows.

Relatively new to airshows, the T-6A Texan II Aerial Demonstration Team has already established itself as one of the premier military demonstration teams.  Flying the basic maneuvers learned by all military student pilots, the team's performance reflects the skills of America's top aviators and the capabilities of the T-6A Texan II.

T-6A Texan II General Characteristics

Length overall: 33 ft 4 in
Wing span: 33 ft 5 in
Height overall: 10 ft 7 in
Speed: 320 miles per hour
Maximum internal fuel: 149.0 Imp gal (894 pounds)
Standard basic empty weight: 6500 lb
Ceiling: 31,000 ft
Range: 900 nautical miles
Crew: Two, student pilot and instructor pilot
Builder: Raytheon Aircraft Co.
Power plant : Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine, Hartzell four blade propeller, Engine rating 1100 SHP (continuous)
Armament: None
Date deployed: May 2000
Unit cost: $4.272 million each aircraft
Inventory: Active force, 454 aircraft by 2010 (current acquisition plans)

Features of the T-6A Texan II

Produced by Raytheon Aircraft, the T-6A Texan II is a military trainer version of Raytheon's Beech/Pilatus PC-9 Mk II.

Stepped-tandem seating in the single cockpit places one crewmember in front of the other, with the Student and instructor positions being interchangeable.  A pilot may also fly the aircraft solo from the front seat.  Pilots enter the T-6A cockpit through a side-opening, one-piece canopy that has demonstrated resistance to bird strikes at speeds up to 270 knots.

Because of its excellent thrust-to-weight ratio, the aircraft can perform an initial climb of 3,100 feet per minute and can reach 18,000 feet in less than six minutes.

It is the aircraft portion of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System, or JPATS.  The whole system includes a suite of simulators, training devices and a training integration management system.

The first operational T-6A arrived at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, in May 2000.

To ensure safety, authorities will establish an exclusive T-6A operational area:  a four-mile radius from Show Center up to 4,500 feet AGL, including an aerobatic box 3,000 ft wide by 4,000 ft long. The T-6 aerobatic show lasts 12 minutes.  The demo pilot takes off one minute after the Demo Team Narrator takes over the show
microphone.

Concessions at The EAA Texas Fly-In will not be permitted to sell helium-filled balloons during the air show.

The parking area and demonstration runways must be absolutely free of Foreign Object Debris (FOD.)  EAA members who help to produce The Texas Fly-In are veteran FOD-hunters on the Hondo airfield, and will
provide the vigilance necessary to ensure this and all other safety requirements are met.

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Contact:

E. D. Yoes, Jr.
Secretary, SWRFI
(210) 492-2504
eyoes@stic.net