FROM T-38 CREW CHIEF TO T-38 STUDENT PILOT

Author: Johnnie Edward Jones Jr.

I was born in 1954 around the time that the T-38 was being developed. By the time I started elementary school the T-38 was entering service training Air Force pilots. During the 60's while growing up in South Georgia, I occasionally saw fast moving military jets fly low over my home in Americus Georgia. Those jets were probably coming from Turner AFB in nearby Albany Georgia. I also often stayed up until midnight to see the T-38 that flew amongst clouds while the poem High Flight was recited. That was when I knew I wanted to become an Air Force pilot. In high school, I adopted the nickname THE JET and my motto was THE JET WILL FLY. After being unable to get into the Air Force Academy or obtain an AFROTC Scholarship, I decided to enlist in the USAF with a guaranteed job as an Aircraft Maintenance Specialist, aka crew chief. Thereafter, I developed an 8 year plan to get a college degree and complete OTS. After basic training and technical school in Texas, I was assigned to T-38 D Flight at Moody AFB, Georgia in late 1972. There, my duties included inspecting, refueling, servicing, launching, recovering, washing and performing routine flight line maintenance. While serving as a T-38 crew chief from 1972 until 1975, there were only a few instructor pilots or student pilots who looked like me. Nevertheless, one particular friendly T-38 IP named Chris Smissom encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an Air Force pilot. With that much needed encouragement, I was even more inspired to pursue my dream. Moody AFB transitioned from ATC to TAC in late 1975 and I finished my four year enlistment as an F-4E crew chief. Thereafter, I ultimately started Clark College in Atlanta and later joined the 700 TAS at Dobbins AFB in Marietta Georgia as a C-7A Flight Mechanic. I told my unit commander that I wanted to become a pilot and he said if you get a college degree we will send you to OTS and UPT and that's exactly what happened in 1980. After OTS, I was assigned to Columbus AFB to attend UPT beginning in March 1981. I finished T-37 phase and eagerly started the T-38 phase of UPT in the Fall of 1981. Those six months as a T-38 student pilot were the absolute highlight of my life as I often reflected on those years as a T-38 crew chief at Moody AFB with a dream to fly that same jet one day. My main instructor pilot was a FAIP who wore a rebel flag emblem on his helmet yet he was very fair to me. The only incident we had was the failure of one of the afterburners to light off resulting in an abort. Another one of my IP's was a crusty old B-52 pilot who came back on active duty to be an instructor. He and I had a couple of close calls including a near mid-air collision with a T-38 on a straight-in approach while we were on the final turn. The other incident was a losing contact with our super solo on a formation ride where we ended up passing each other head on while trying to rejoin. The only check ride I have ever failed was my T-38 formation check where the evaluator accused me of nearly colliding with the other jet when I reached down to change the Tacan channel on the home stretch. My assessment was that he did not want me to FAR qualified. Nevertheless, it didn't matter to me because I knew I was going back to my USAF Reserve Unit where I ultimately safely flew brand new C-130H models for over 10 years. In our sister flight, one student and his IP got into a flat spin and as the aircraft descended out of control through 10,000 feet the student ejected as taught. That ejection apparently allowed the aircraft to stabilize and the IP brought the aircraft back safely and was scolded for not ejecting too. Overall, I am extremely grateful to the USAF and the the T-38 for helping me fulfil my dream. The T-38 was extremely reliable and delightful to fly especially after having maintained them as a crew chief for years. Lessons learned during UPT allowed me to have a successful 30+ year career as a United Airlines pilot where I retired in 2019 as a Boeing 787 Dreamliner captain. In 2025, I published my memoir entitled THE JET WILL FLY to hopefully inspire others. On a final note, I dedicate this testimony to that Moody AFB IP Chris Smissom who ultimately became a pilot for Delta Airlines and performed acrobatics in his own aircraft at airshows. Unfortunately, he died in 2003 while performing acrobatics at a airshow at Tyndall AFB Florida.