The T-610 Super Pinto started as a 1968 conversion of the United States Navy's Temco TT Pinto two-seat jet trainer. AJI modified the aircraft for light attack by replacing the engine with the General Electric CJ610-6turbojet engine and extending the fuselage by 10 inches. It featured a modified wing, wingtipfuel tanks, and a swept vertical stabilizer as well as provision for two underwing hardpoints. The prototype first flew on June 28, 1968. The aircraft flew very well and later improved in power three fold, with only 20 pounds more weight compared to the original design. The United States Air Force (USAF) evaluated the Super Pinto during its PAVE COIN program in 1971 but it did not receive a contract with either the USAF or Turkey. [citation needed]
Consequently, the company decided to sell the whole project and struck a deal with the Philippine government, whereby AJI relinquished all rights on the Super Pinto design. In a US$1.25 million deal, the Philippine Air Force (PAF)'s Self-Reliance Development Wing bought the rights for the work drawings, patents, design, flight test data, and process sheets for the manufacture of the aircraft on November 8, 1976, as well as one U.S.-built prototype, which became the first Philippine T-610 (now known as the Calí or "hawk"), and an additional fuselage. The deal included the exclusive rights to market military and commercial versions internationally.
TT-1 Pinto in flight in 1957.
The second T-610 was produced locally, and both aircraft were flight tested satisfactorily in Manila, creating high expectations to build a national aircraft industry in the Philippines. They carried the numbers 44233 and 44234, which echoed U.S. Navy Pinto serials 144233 and 144234. The two aircraft differed mainly in that "233" had the one-piece canopy of the original Pinto, while "234" had a two-piece canopy. It would be logical to conclude that "44233" was originally the Navy's 144233, but there is no evidence of this. Both Navy Pintos are still existent on the American civil register and pretty much active.
The Calí program started to encounter economic problems, and after the Marcos administration collapsed, the project was shelved. The resurrection of the Calí program was considered on various occasions. In the mid-1980s, four separate versions were targeted for possible production: a single-seat light strike aircraft that could carry up to 1,600 kg of stores for COIN operations; a tandem-seat primary jet trainer; a quick change version of the trainer that could be rapidly converted as a strike aircraft; and an executive version with a wider pressurized cabin seating five passengers. At that time, the PAF foresaw the Calí as a possible replacement for no less than its Beechcraft T-34 Mentors, SIAI-Marchetti SF.260s, North American T-28D Trojans, Lockheed T-33s and even its North American F-86F Sabres, with a planned operational life of about 15 years. The commonality of the CJ610-6 engine with the country's Northrop F-5 fighter force was especially viewed as a key element.
J85-5 Turbojet
At the 1988 Farnborough Airshow, it was announced that American company Avstar Inc., in collaboration with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation of the People's Republic of China, Pacific Marketing Consultants Inc. of San Francisco, and Plymouth Ltd. of Hong Kong, planned to revive the Super Pinto. Under the terms of "an agreement in principle" between the four parties, the Avstar T-100 Super Mustang was to be built at Shenyang under license from Plymouth, with final assembly and avionics installation taking place in the U.S., and marketed by the two U.S. companies. A prototype, powered by a General Electric J85 turbojet, was undergoing flight testing in the U.S. The General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to 2,950 lbf (13.1 kN) of thrust dry; afterburning variants can reach up to 5,000 lbf (22 kN). The engine, depending upon additional equipment and a specific model, weighs from 300 to 500 pounds (140 to 230 kg). In 1988; production T-100s were expected to be powered by either this engine or a Williams FJ44. The T-100 scheme came in direct contradiction with the Philippines having the exclusive rights to market the Super Pinto internationally, so the exclusivity clause might have been invalidated by Manila's not having produced any new aircraft over the past decade. By the end, nothing came of the Super Mustang project either.
As recently as 2009 a government official[who?] stated that the Super Pinto could still be produced if only to take advantage of the licensing rights that had been purchased. If produced today, the Calí could incorporate locally produced composite materials on some major components. An appeal to the private sector was made to take part in the development and manufacture of "the first Philippine jet" on a cost-sharing and profit-sharing scheme. However, the current state of that program remains unknown.[2][3][4][5]
Variants
T-610 Super Pinto/Cali
The first two prototypes were converted Temco TT Pintos. The second prototype was unfinished when the program was bought by the Philippine government, and completed in Manila. Two more unarmed prototypes were made thereafter.[citation needed]
Aeronca Model 620
Production variant, to have been built by Aeronca. A single-seat light strike aircraft; one aircraft built/converted.[6]
Aeronca Model 630
Two-seat primary trainer variant, to have been built by Aeronca, with no provision for armament.[6]
Aeronca Model 640-QC/T
A primary 2-seater trainer with provision for armament.[6]
The first prototype was lost during an evaluation flight which led to the termination of the program.[7]
Aircraft on display
T-610 prototype, Philippine Air Force Museum
In December 2016, five of the TT-1 Pinto series still appeared on the U.S. civil roster[8] (one with an expired certificate[9]), down from seven, four of them Super Pintos, in 2011.[10]
As of late 2015, one T-610 prototype was still preserved at the Philippine Air Force Museum.[7][11]
Specifications (T-610 prototype)
Data from Jane's all the World Aircraft 1972-73,[6] armyman.info,[1] flightglobal.com[12]
General characteristics
Crew: Two (pilot and instructor)
Length: 9.57m (31ft 5in)
Wingspan: 9.09m (29ft 10in) with tip tanks; (10.31 m (33 ft 9 in) without tip tanks
Height: 3.48m (11ft 5in)
Wing area: 13.94m2 (150.0sqft)
Empty weight: 1,542kg (3,400lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3,628kg (7,998lb)
Fuel capacity: 1,048L (277USgal; 231impgal) [with tip tanks]
The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engined jet trainer type which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force (USAF) and in the air forces of several other nations. The T-37C was also capable of light attack. The A-37 Dragonfly variant served in the light attack role during the Vietnam War and continues to serve in the air forces of several South American nations.
The Hongdu JL-8, also known as the Karakorum-8 or K-8 for short, is a two-seat intermediate jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed in the People's Republic of China by China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The primary contractor is the Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation.
The HFB 320 Hansa Jet is a twin-engine, ten-seat business jet that was designed and produced by German aircraft manufacturer Hamburger Flugzeugbau between 1964 and 1973. The most recognisable and unconventional feature of the aircraft is its forward-swept wing.
The Dassault Étendard IV is a transonic carrier-borne strike fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.
The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twinjet trainer aircraft developed in the early 1960s as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force, which had opted to procure the type for various roles, issued the aircraft with the designation Sk 60. The Sk 60 entered service in 1967, replacing the ageing De Havilland Vampire fleet.
The PZL TS-11 Iskra is a Polish jet trainer, developed and manufactured by aircraft company PZL-Mielec. It was used by the air forces of Poland and India. It is notable as being the first domestically developed jet aircraft to be produced by Poland, its service for over 50 years as the principal training aircraft of the Polish Air Force, and at the time of its retirement was the oldest jet-propelled aircraft still in service in Poland.
The Sukhoi Su-9 was an early jet fighter built in the Soviet Union shortly after World War II. The design began in 1944 and was intended to use Soviet-designed turbojet engines. The design was heavily influenced by captured German jet fighters and it was subsequently redesigned to use a Soviet copy of a German turbojet. The Su-9 was slower than competing Soviet aircraft and it was cancelled as a result. A modified version with different engines and a revised wing became the Su-11, but this did not enter production either. The Su-13 was a proposal to re-engine the aircraft with Soviet copies of the Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet as well as to modify it for night fighting, but neither proposal was accepted.
The Fuji T-1 was Japan's first jet-powered trainer aircraft. Its first flight was in January 1958. A total of 66 T-1 planes were built. It was retired in March 2006.
The Bréguet Br 960 Vultur was a prototype two-seat carrier-based attack and anti-submarine aircraft (ASW) built for the French Navy during the early 1950s. Meeting contradictory endurance and speed requirements, it was designed as a "mixed-power" aircraft with a turboprop engine in the front and a turbojet in the rear. Only two examples were built, but the second aircraft was rebuilt as the prototype of the Bréguet 1050 Alizé ASW aircraft after the Navy dropped the idea of a turboprop attack aircraft in the mid-1950s.
The HAL HJT-16 Kiran is an Indian two-seat intermediate jet-powered trainer aircraft designed and manufactured by aircraft company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Soko G-4 Super Galeb, also referred to as N-62, is a Yugoslav single-engine, advanced jet trainer and light ground-attack aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute at Žarkovo and manufactured by the SOKO aircraft factory in Mostar.
The Fouga CM.170 Magister is a 1950s French two-seat jet trainer aircraft that was developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Établissements Fouga & Cie. Easily recognizable by its V-tail, almost 1,000 have been built in France and under licence in West Germany, Israel, and Finland.
The Temco TT Pinto is a tandem two-seat primary jet trainer built for the United States Navy by Temco Aircraft of Dallas, Texas.
The PZL TS-16 Grot (Arrowhead) was a supersonic Strike aircraft and military jet trainer designed in Poland by Tadeusz Sołtyk. It is the first jet made without any foreign support from the East, and its creation was received very coldly by both the Kremlin and by the West. The project was started in 1958, but was canceled in 1964 for political pressure by USSR, before production could start. Despite this, a mockup designated TS-16RD was built. The RD version was expected to use Soviet RD-9B engine from the MiG-19 although an indigenous powerplant called the SO-2 was also in development for the final version. The production version was to have two engines, although the TS-16RD prototype that was built had only one.
The Nanchang J-12 was a lightweight supersonic fighter built by the People's Republic of China, intended for use by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was one of the first serious attempts by Chinese aircraft manufacturers to develop an indigenous, modern jet fighter. Weighing 3,172 kg (6,993 lb) empty, the J-12 is one of the lightest jet fighters ever built. However, neither the J-12 nor the related Shenyang J-13 project entered service.
Pinto is a surname.
The Viper Aircraft ViperJet is a small homebuilt jet aircraft by Viper Aircraft Corporation. It is a conventional, low-wing monoplane with swept wings and tail and two seats in tandem under a bubble canopy. The jet intakes are located at the sides of the fuselage and the tricycle undercarriage is retractable. Construction throughout is of composite materials.
The Teledyne CAE J69 was a small turbojet engine originally produced by Continental Aviation and Engineering (CAE) under license from Turbomeca. The J69 was a development of the Turbomeca Marboré II. It powered a number of U.S. drones, missiles and small aircraft. The engine was later produced by Teledyne CAE. The J69 was also developed into the Teledyne CAE J100 turbojet optimized for operation at higher altitudes.
The Caproni Trento F.5 was a small Italian two-seat trainer designed by Stelio Frati and built by Aeroplani Caproni Trento. The F.5 was not ordered into production and only a prototype was built.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-350, was a Soviet Cold War-era experimental fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet aircraft able to maintain supersonic speed.
↑ Murphy, Kevin (2011). "TT-1 Pinto". Warbird Alley. "One of the seven is a Super Pinto kept flying by the World Heritage Air Museum at Detroit City Airport." Retrieved on 2009-11-08 from http://www.warbirdalley.com/pinto.htm.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
