Junior Birdmen of 1959

T-34

When this photo was taken, T-37 58-1896 was fresh off the assembly line

A photo to show to the folks back home.

T-37A 56-3563 has a long life ahead of it. Today, it is on display in the appropriately named town of Jet, Oklahoma.

The number of pilots who trained in the “Tweet” is beyond counting.

Rainy (and humid) afternoon at Graham Air Base.

By the book, or “Buy the Farm”.

With bulging briefcases, students of the 3300th Pilot Training Group prepare to march.

He is about to be trusted with a multi-million dollar aircraft.

These shots were taken at Graham Air Base, Florida, in the latter half of 1959. The aircraft are the T-34 and, of course, the then new T-37 “Tweet”. Graham was an air force training base, but was operated primarily by civilian contractors and not air force personnel. As such, it did not carry the title “Air Force Base”. By 1959, the era of civilian operated training schools was coming to a close, and Graham Air Base closed the following year.