The Rick Mercer Report

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

T-45 Goshawk

The Windsor International Air Show is starting to heat up.
Two T-45 Goshawks will be coming up for static display from the VT-86 Sabrehawks located in Pensacola Florida.

At the heart of the Navy T45 training system is the two-seat, single-engine T-45 Goshawk. The aircraft has a wingspan of 30.1 feet, a length of 39.3 feet, a tail height of 13.5 feet and a gross takeoff weight of 13,636 pounds. The U.S. Navy's T-45 Goshawk is powered by a Rolls-Royce Adour F405-RR-401 engine producing 5,845 pounds of thrust. Designed to excel in the rigorous environment of naval aviation training, it has been fatigue-tested successfully to demonstrate a service life that exceeds the required 14, 400 flight-hours.
Described by instructor-pilots who fly it as "eminently forgiving," the T-45 is the only jet trainer designed to land routinely at sink rates of greater than 700 feet per minute, which are required for aircraft carrier approach landings. The Boeing team has continually upgraded the aircraft with features such as leading-edge wing slats for better low-speed performance, high-gain nosewheel steering for safer ground handling, and a reinforced composite stabilator with increased span for better pitch control.
In the 16 years since they entered service in 1992, T-45s have logged over 800,000 flight-hours and made over 50,000 arrested carrier landings. Approximately 3,500 student aviators from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and a number of foreign militaries have earned their wings in the T-45.
The Windsor International Air Show welcomes the Sabrehawks.