T-1A reaches 1 million hour mark Published Aug. 25, 2006 By Megan Orton Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AETCNS) -- Air Education and Training Command's T-1A Jayhawk pilot training aircraft flew its millionth safe flying hour Oct. 27. The aircraft reached this milestone with no fatalities, significant safety issues or major injuries, said Lt. Col. Victor Rick, AETC Initial Training Branch chief. AETC is unable to credit a specific pilot or aircraft with the accomplishment because approximately 68 T-1A Jayhawks were simultaneously airborne across the United States when the 1 million hour mark was crossed, according to statistics provided by Bob Laymon, Raytheon Corporation Air Force programs manager. The T-1A is used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft. It is also used for navigator training support by Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and international services. The Air Force purchased Raytheon Corporation's Beech 400A civilian aircraft and began using it for training in 1993. Powered by twin turbofan engines, the Jayhawk is capable of an operating speed of Mach .78, or 538 mph, and has a ceiling of 41,000 feet. Since the Beech 400A was flown for a few years prior to the Air Force's purchase of the aircraft, most of the bugs had been worked out, said Maj. John Ryon, AETC Chief of Safety Operations. The T-1A differs from the Beech jet only in its structural enhancements, which provide for increased bird strike resistance and an additional fuselage fuel tank. The T-1A's "tried and true" airframe and its similarities to a civilian aircraft have contributed to its record, Major Ryon said.