Navy mechanics solving T-38 issue

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Northrop Grumman’s T-38 Talon, the world’s first supersonic jet trainer, has been a mainstay in pilot training since the 1960s. The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) is the Navy’s principal operator of the twin-engine aircraft. USNTPS’ 10 Talons fly an average of 1,100 hours a year, providing students with valuable experience evaluating transonic and supersonic flight characteristics. Over the past two decades the T-38 fleet developed a chronic problem with inconsistent exhaust gas temperatures (EGT). Grounding T-38s to track down the source of high, low, erratic, and fluctuating EGT costs the Navy tens of millions of dollars annually. But what caused it? After much effort, two members of the USNTPS maintenance department, Mearland “Zeke” Rusaw and Lenny Epps, finally identified the culprit: A malfunctioning engine temperature controller called the T5 amp. Rusaw estimated half of the replacement T5 amps were not faulty. They needed to be “re-nulled" (recalibrated). After consulting with two more experienced T-38 mechanics, Rusaw designed and built equipment that could test and re-null the T5 amps while still installed. He wrote up procedures so other T-38 operators could use the same technique. That solution paid major dividends saving the school $203,000 and almost 450 man-hours of labor annually. Rusaw was able to collect enough data to convince the engineers that he was really on to the right solution. (Source: Naval Air Warfare Center Patuxent River 05/17/20) Gulf Coast Note: The Air Force and NASA also fly T-38 Talons. The AF has T-38s at Air Education and Training Commands at Columbus AFB, Miss. (14th Flying Training Wing/squadrons); and Tyndall-Eglin AFBs (325th Fighter Wing) in Florida. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=112870