#78CU T-38A Talon, 97 FTS, Squadron Print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 78CU - 61-0920, T-38A Talon, 82nd FTW, 97th FTS, Williams AFB, Arizona.
The 82nd Flying Training Wing was reactivated at Williams AFB in 1973. The 82nd traces its roots back to January 1942 when it was formed at Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the 82nd Fighter Group flying the P-38 Lightning. During WWII, the 82nd was assigned to the 12th Air Force and operated from bases in Algeria, Tunisia and Italy. The 82nd earned three Distinguished Unit Citations in the combat arenas of North Africa and southern and central Europe before being inactivated in 1945. The 82nd was reactivated and inactivated several times before reactivating at Willie in 1973 as the 82nd Flying Training Wing (FTW). Under the 82nd FTW, the 96th Flying Training Squadron provides initial jet training in the T-37 Tweet and the 97th Flying Training Squadron teaches advanced jet flying in the supersonic T-38 Talon. The Northrop T-38 Talon first flew in April 1958 with production models entering operational service in March 1961. A Total of 1,187 aircraft were built in continuous production from 1959 to 1972. This lightweight advanced trainer is powered by two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines each producing 2,680 pounds thrust or 3,850 pounds with afterburner. With a length of 46 feet and a wingspan of 25 feet, the Talon is capable of speeds in the Mach 1.2 range and altitudes of over 50,000 feet.