Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas bid farewell to its last T-1A Jayhawk aircraft last month, as the Air Force continues its efforts to retire this heavy aircraft trainer. The last Jayhawk from the 86th Flying Training Squadron took off from the base on December 17. This event featured a five-plane flyover that included two T-6A Texan IIs and two T-38C Talons, which passed over Laughlin’s airfield and air traffic control tower before the T-1 proceeded to its final destination, known as “The Boneyard,” located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
Lt. Col. Nathan Hedden, the commander of the 86th Squadron, remarked, “We stand on the shoulders of giants,” highlighting the legacy of excellence left by previous pilots who trained on the Jayhawk. For over three decades, Airmen have relied on the T-1s to master the basics of piloting cargo and tanker aircraft.
The T-1, a twin-engine jet originally manufactured by Raytheon subsidiary Beech, is becoming obsolete, and the Air Force initiated cuts to its fleet of 177 T-1s in 2023. The fleet was reduced from 75 T-1s last year, with a goal of further reducing it to 53 by 2025. This decision aligns with the Air Force’s preparations to introduce the new T-7A Redhawk trainer.
In early 2022, the Air Force proclaimed plans to retire the Jayhawk and stated that new pilot training techniques, such as virtual reality, would facilitate phasing out the T-1 platform. Furthermore, enhancements to the T-6 would permit aspiring pilots to learn mobility aircraft flying on a single aircraft, thus allowing the retirement of the least-capable T-1 models that would otherwise require engine replacements.
Under the traditional training system, aspiring Air Force pilots would fly the T-1 for approximately five months following their initial training on the T-6. However, the Air Force is transitioning toward a simulator-based training system, which enables these students to acquire advanced flight skills more rapidly.
Despite the retirement of the T-1s, Laughlin’s 47th Flying Training Wing will continue to instruct students using the T-6 and T-38C Talon until the T-7A becomes operational. Additionally, the 99th Flying Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas said goodbye to its last Jayhawk in July 2024, which also made its way to Davis-Monthan for retirement.
