Our Aircraft’s History
Cessna T-37B “Tweet” (White); (S/N 54-2732; MSN #40008) ~ Originally built as a T-37A-CE in April of 1956 by the Cessna Aircraft company in Wichita, Kansas. She was delivered to the US Air Force on April 30th; retained by Cessna for conversion to a JT-37A.
- December 1958 – 3306th Pilot Training Group, Air Training Command (ATC), Bainbridge Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia; Aircraft converted to T-37B
- January 1961 – 3525th Pilot Training Wig, ATC, Williams AFB, Arizona
- March 1967 – At Cessna Aircraft, Wichita, Kansas
- August 1968 – Dropped from inventory by transfer to museum status. Assigned by the US Air Force Museum to the Florida Military Aviation Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
- August 2003 – Fort Meade, Florida
MAPS Air Museum recovered and moved the T-37B in March of 2007. She is awaiting her turn in the Renovation building to be worked on by the Area 51 Crew.
Specifications/Performance
- Role: Jet trainer
- Manufacturer: Cessna
- First flight: October 12, 1954
- Introduction: 1957
- Retired: 2009 (USAF)
- Produced 1955-1975
- Built: 1,269
- Crew: 2 (pilot, trainer)
- Length: 29 ft 3 in
- Wingspan: 33 ft 9 in
- Height: 9 ft 2 in
- Empty weight: 4,056 lb
- Max takeoff weight: 6,574 lb
- Engines: 2 x Continental-Teledyne J69-T-25 turbjets, 1,025 lbf each
- Max speed: 425 mph
- Cruise speed: 360 mph
- Range: 932 mi
- Service ceiling: 38,700 ft
Armament, notable (T-37C weapons trainer)
- .50 caliber machine gun (200 rounds)
- 2 x 2.75 in folding fin rocket pods
- 4 x practice bombs
Museum display notes: the intent is to paint and mark the T-37 as it was assigned with the 3306th Pilot Training Group, ATC, Bainbridge AFB, Georgia.
Designed to replace: Lockheed T-33 “Shooting Star”
Replaced by: Beechcraft T-6 “Texan II”