RARE
T38
Northrop T-38 Talon
The White Rocket
“Every US Air Force pilot's first supersonic ride.”
Northrop · military
Length
46 ft 4 in
Wingspan
25 ft 3 in
Max speed
Mach 1.23
Range
1,093 nmi
Ceiling
55,600 ft
Engines
2x GE J85-GE-5A
Crew
2
First flight
1959
In service
1961–present
Built
1,187
The T-38 Talon has been training military pilots since 1961 — more than 60 years and still the primary advanced trainer. Supersonic, twin-engine, and the aircraft that separates student pilots from fighter pilots.
Fun fact
NASA uses T-38s as chase planes and for astronaut proficiency training. Every Space Shuttle mission had T-38s flying nearby.
How to spot one
Small, white, supersonic trainer. Tandem cockpit. Swept wings. Every US Air Force pilot has flown one.
Crews call it
The White Rocket
Sounds like
Twin J85 afterburning turbojets — a high-pitched scream that echoes across the base
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The White Rocket from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.
Get Bogey