USAF's Jayhawks almost retired

On 17 December 2024, as expected, the last Raytheon (Beech) T-1A Jayhawk departed Laughlin AFB (TX) after a small ceremony, to be stored at Davis-Monthan AFB (AZ) with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group.

The past year saw a gradually influx of former Air Education and Training Command Jayhawks towards the 309th AMARG, also known as the Arizona Boneyard. Marking an end of an era, T-1A 92-0346, with the special black tail marked "LOBO FAIP", was amongst the last to be divested off from Laughlin's "Team XL" 47th Flying Training Wing.

The 86th Flying Training Squadron "Rio Lobos" First Assigned Instructor Pilot (FAIP), was the last unit to operate the Jayhawk. The last remaining 12th Flying Training Wing T-1A from Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph took its final flight to Davis-Monthan during July 2024.

The first T-1A Jayhawk, a derative of the civil Hawker 400/ Beechjet 400, entered service with the USAF in 1992 at the now closed Reese AFB, near Lubbock (TX).

The sole transport trainer Jayhawk became a critical component of the revised Specialised Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) programme. For over 32 years, thousands of pilots flew the T-1A enroute to the cockpit of transport aircraft like the C-17A Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender, KC-46 Pegasus, C-130 Hercules/ Super Hercules, and C-5 Galaxy/ Super Galaxy. All training for transport destined pilots will now take place with the T-6A Texan II single-engine turboprop aircraft.

Over the past years, the following USAF units have operated/operate the T-1A Jayhawk;

12th FTW/99th FTS ('RA') and AFRC associate unit 340th FTG/ 39th FTS, Randolph AFB (TX)
14th FTW/48th FTS ('CB') and AFRC associate unit 340th FTG/ 43rd FTS, Columbus AFB (MS)
47th FTW/86th FTS ('XL') and AFRC associate unit 340th FTG/ 96th FTS, Laughlin AFB(TX)
71st FTW/3rd FTS ('VN') and AFRC associate unit 340th FTG/ 5th FTS, Vance AFB (OK)
479th FTG/451st FTS ('AP'), NAS Pensacola (FL)

It is expected that Pensacola will start to divest the Jayhawk in January 2025. Columbus and Vance will follow soon.

On 27 January 2021, Scramble Magazine wrote about the re-delivery of ten damaged XL coded T-1As. The 576th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Squadron (576th AMRS) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AZ) re-delivered the last repaired aircraft to Laughlin Air Force Base. The squadron took on the repairs for ten of the aircraft after 39 of them sustained severe hail damage when a storm swept through Laughlin AFB in February 2016.

Credit photos: USAF