TEMCO TT-1 Pinto

Two-Seat Jet-Powered Basic Jet Trainer

United States | 1959

"The TEMCO TT-1 Pinto proved itself a short-lived jet-powered trainer experiment for the United States Navy."

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the TEMCO TT-1 Pinto Two-Seat Jet-Powered Basic Jet Trainer.

1 x Teledyne CAE YJ69-T-9 turbojet engine developing 920 lb of thrust.
Propulsion

519 mph
835 kph | 451 kts
Max Speed

30,003 ft
9,145 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

186 miles
300 km | 162 nm
Operational Range

1,900 ft/min
579 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the TEMCO TT-1 Pinto Two-Seat Jet-Powered Basic Jet Trainer.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

30.6 ft
9.33 m
O/A Length

29.9 ft
(9.10 m)
O/A Width

10.8 ft
(3.30 m)
O/A Height

2,646 lb
(1,200 kg)
Empty Weight

4,453 lb
(2,020 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the TEMCO TT-1 Pinto family line.

TT "Pinto" - Base Series Name

Model 51 - TEMCO company model designation; prototype configuration.

TT-1 - Fourteen production models for USN service.

T-610 "Super Pinto" - Proposed variant of 1968 with GE CJ610-6 series turbojet engine of 2,850 lb thrust output.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/07/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

When the United States Air Force (USAF) was looking for a new basic trainer, Temco Aircraft returned with their jet-powered Model 51, a straight-winged, single-engined development seating its crew of two in tandem under a large canopy. As the primary trainer stood as the stepping point between classroom instruction and advanced jet trainers for combat aircraft, the Model 51 was deliberately designed with combat fighter-like qualities including a turbojet engine (as opposed to the traditional prop seeing in basic trainer types), retractable tricycle undercarriage and ejection seats. Despite this effort, the service went with the competing Cessna T-37 "Tweet" series and this left just fifteen Model 51 aircraft, known officially as the TT "Pinto", built. After a first-flight on march 26th, 1956 and introduction occurring in 1959, the series was out of service as soon as 1961.

The TT was powered by the Continental Motors (Teledyne) YJ69-T-9 turbojet engine which was buried within the aft fuselage an aspirated by small, half-moon intakes along the sides of the fuselage. This powerplant was a license-built engine of French origin better known globally as the Turbomeca "Marbore" which powered similar aircraft types such as the Fouga Magister and Hispano HA-200. The installation produced 920lb of thrust that allowed the aircraft to reach speeds of 345 miles per hour and cruise at 250 mph. The aircraft's service ceiling reached 30,000 feet (requiring a pressurized cockpit and oxygen for the two crew) and rate-of-climb was 1,900 feet-per-minute.

From 1959 on, the TT was used by the Air Training Command of Pensacola, Florida but did not warrant pursuit as a standardized jet-powered basic trainer. This led to their rather short service lives which ended under the banner of the Naval Air Training Command of the United States Navy (USN). A 1968 initiative by American Jet Industries (AJI) attempted to revive the design with a General Electric CJ610-6 turbojet (2,850lb thrust) as the T-610 "Super Pinto" for service as a light-attack platform. Only the Philippine Air Force showed interest in the reimagined aircraft and planned for its local production. However, only a prototype of this model existed before its official end arrived.

One Pinto example is on display at the excellent National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the TEMCO TT-1 Pinto. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 15 Units
Contractor(s): Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company (TEMCO) - USA