The T-44C "Pegasus" aircraft is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane manufactured by Beech Aircraft Corporation, Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft is used for advanced turboprop aircraft training and for intermediate E2/C2 (carrier based turboprop aircraft) training at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas.
The T-44C is powered by two 550 shaft horsepower PT6A-34B turboprop engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney of Canada. The aircraft is equipped with deicing and anti-icing systems and was recently upgraded with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 glass avionics suite. The T-44C is the premiere multi-engine training aircraft for the U.S. Armed Forces. Equipped with digital displays and an integrated Flight Management System, the T-44C provides future aviators with the platform to learn the advanced skills their future fleet aircraft demand.
AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS | |
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Date Deployed | First operational flight, April 1977 |
Length | 35.5 ft (10.82 m) |
Height | 14.25 ft (4.34 m) |
Wingspan | 50.25 ft (15.32 m) |
Weight, Empty | 6,246 lbs (2,833 kg) |
Weight, Max Takeoff | 9,650 lbs (4,377 kg) |
Ceiling | 31,300 ft |
Range, Max | 1,300 nautical mi (2,407.6 km) |
Airspeed, Max | 245 knots; 281.94 mph (453.74 kph) |
Crew | Three (instructor pilot, two student pilots) |