CAPTAIN JACK LANG
T-38 Instructor Pilot for George W. Bush's Class 70-04

I was born in Buffalo, NY in 1942, graduated from Public School #78, Sweet Home High School and Buffalo State College with a B.S. in Secondary Social Studies Education. I qualified for flight school, but first had to be commissioned. With no flying experience, in fact, I was never even in an airplane, I joined the USAF for Basic Training at Lackland AFB. This was followed up with Officer Training School, where I was a Distinguished Military Graduate and earned a Regular Officer Commission as 2nd Lt.

By class ranking, I selected my undergraduate pilot training at Moody AFB, GA. Lying ahead was 55 weeks of intensive training, the toughest part of my young life. Half of my class 66-G, 3552 Pilot Training Squadron alternated flying AM with PM academics, with the other ½ of our class, 3553 P.T.S., alternating weekly. We began with T-37 training and just prior to first solo, lost a classmate and his instructor. This really brought reality to my training. Shortly thereafter, I flew with my instructor, landed; he jumped out and said to give him three landings. I soloed and was extremely proud of myself. We continued this hectic schedule for six months and then advanced to the T-38 Talon, a twin engine, supersonic trainer. Again, our schedule alternated academics of aerodynamics, weather, navigation aviation physiology, aircraft engineering, AF leadership and physical training.

With the T-38, we began with a “dollar ride” - a demonstration of T-38 capabilities including a quick climb to above 40,000 feet, a supersonic run, and max. deflection rolls. Then the “fun” was over and into the back seat under the hood for eleven basic instrument flights and a checkride. After a successful progression, climb into the front seat for contact flying, take offs, landings, aerobotics, area navigation and general confidence building, including loops and Immelmans, where 10,000 feet was the maneuvering altitude to perform along with Chandelles, barrel rolls, Cuban 8’s, and Split S. There were specific altitudes and airspeeds for these maneuvers as well as geographic areas to maintain, learning to control your aircraft and your capabilities. We also spent many hours in the traffic pattern (1500’ AGL, 280 knot airspeed) and final turn (175 KTS + fuel) and final approach (155 KTS + fuel) and landing (130 KTS + fuel) phases. Solo clearance was different here in that after a flight, the student pilot was cleared to solo and go to his assigned area and perform specific maneuvers, but this flight was not a continuation. It could be tomorrow or the next day due to scheduling and the weather.

At this time, our flying also expanded into two ship and four ship formation (with three foot wing tip clearance), navigational training, all phases of instrument flying, night flying, and quite often real weather conditions along with the occasional in flight emergencies. We had check rides in all of the phases of flying, which was our academic grades, determined our class ranking, if we did not bust out of the program. Only 28 of my class’s original 46 student pilots earned their wings. 66-G was the last pure jet training class as the T-41 prop aircraft was introduced to eliminate those who couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time, or really had no interest in flying. Upon graduation, I received my assignment as a T-38 Flight Instructor at Moody AFB. I was off to Randolph AFB for eight weeks of instructor training. Here, I jokingly say that I stayed just one week too long. I met my then wife-to-be. After returning to Georgia, we would date when I was in San Antonio on a student cross-country flight.

I returned to Moody AFB and was given a local checkout and various flights with Standardization Evaluation prior to flying with students. Once cleared, instructing began, initially with post-solo students. The next class I took from the beginning, all the way through the program, including clearing them solo, not only for contact flights, but also navigation and formation flying. As my time in grade and experience level increased, I added various duties to flying. Initially, Ground Safety Officer, then Scheduling Officer (responsible for keeping the entire class of students and instructors current in all phases while flying a designated number of a/c per flying period. I then trained as and was assigned as the runway supervisor, controlling all T-38 traffic for that flying period.

As an IP, we normally had 3-4 students per class. As Scheduling Officer, I flew with many students to check their progress. As a senior instructor, I also had new IP’s as “buddies” and flew with them and their students to watch their progress and as the Runway Supervisor, I observed all of the students in action.

All of the student pilots in to UPT program were college graduates who were commissioned, either as graduates of the USAF Academy, ROTC, OTS or filled Air Guard slots. The program they went through was extremely thorough and intensive, and included officers of both allied nations and other service branches. My students included a Norwegian, a Columbian and a USMC. Along with the rigorous training of over one year of their lives, with a following commitment, we created the best pilots in the world. The USAF had many missions and not all included Southeast Asia in the 1960’s. I never got there. Did that make me something less? I don’t think so. The USAF needed instructors as well as fighter pilots, bomber pilots, transport pilots and air guards defending our borders. I was selected to ferry a brand new F-5 fighter from Sacramento to Turkey with a North Atlantic crossing.

I left the USAF in 1970 and returned to Western New York with my wife, Katherine, and daughter, Karin. Our second daughter, Deborah, was born in 1971. I became a Police Officer in my hometown of Town of Tonawanda and raised my family there. I am now a retired Juvenile Detective. Besides two daughters, I have three granddaughters and two grandsons.