Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
North American T-39D Sabreliner
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019
Naval Flight Officer Training The civilian Sabreliner is a late-1950s-era business jet with wings based on those of the F-86 Sabre jet liner. In the early 1960s, the U.S. Navy converted a number of Sabreliners into T-39 aircraft for the purpose of training Naval Flight Officers (NFOs). NFOs are not pilots. Rather, they operate mission systems in multi-space naval aircraft, including radar, bombing, countermeasures, and navigation equipment. Over the last 50 years, T-39s of several versions have been operated by the Navy's Training Command, and the type remains in use there today.
Our Display Aircraft Bureau Number 150987 is a one-of-a-kind T-39. Accepted by the Navy on 12 August 1964, it served as an NFO trainer until 1977. In August of that year, PRNAM's T-39 was fitted with an F/A-18 nose, radar, and engineering crew stations. Thus equipped, it supported F/A-18 radar development and flight testing at NAS Patuxent River and the Naval Weapons Center (China Lake, CA). In September 1988, our T-39 was transferred to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as NAS Patuxent River to train students in evaluating radar systems. Upon its last flight on 14 July 1989, our T-39 had logged 6,735.4 flight hours and 4,282 landings (including one belly landing when the landing gear failed to extend). It was transferred to PRNAM in May 1994.
• Primary Mission: Naval Flight Officer and Radar Operator training
• Crew: One Pilot, 1 or 2 instructors, 2 or 3 students
• U.S. Service Timeline (T-39 Series): 1963 - present
• Max. Gross Weight: 18,650 lb
• Dimensions: 43.7 ft length, 44.6 ft wing span
• Propulsion: Two Pratt & Whitney J60-P-3 Turbojet engines
• Max Operating Speed: ~400 MPH (sea level)
• Armament: None
Erected by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Education • Military. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1994.
Location. 38° 16.535′ N, 76° 27.709′ W. Marker is in Lexington Park, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker can be reached from Three Notch Road (Maryland Route 235) north of Thomas Johnson Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22156 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park MD 20653, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Grumman NF-14D Tomcat (a few steps from this marker); Grumman S-2D Tracker (a few steps from this
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 31, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.