Boeing T-43

what is it?

The Boeing T-43 is a retired modified Boeing 737-200 that was used by the United States Air Force for training navigators, later called USAF combat systems officers, from 1973 to 2010. Informally referred to as the Gator (an abbreviation of "navigator") and "Flying Classroom", nineteen of these aircraft were delivered to the Air Training Command (ATC) at Mather Air Force Base, California during 1973 and 1974. Two additional aircraft were delivered to the Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley Air National Guard Base (later Buckley Space Force Base) and Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, in direct support of cadet air navigation training at the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 28.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 943 km/htop speed
• range 4,815 kmwithout refuelling
• size 52.2 tmax take-off weight
• built 19made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 53 years ago, in 1973.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 28.4 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 9 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 4,815 km: 27× Amsterdam to Brussels.

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1973-03-10

introduced

1973

retired

2010

status

retired

number built

19

role

multi-engine trainer / transport

makers

Boeing

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A

crew

2

length

30.5 m

wingspan

28.4 m

height

11.3 m

max take-off weight

52.2 t

top speed

943 km/h

cruise speed

926 km/h

range

4,815 km

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.