I started in the USAF as a Crew Chief on B-52H's at Minot AFB, then transitioned to the B-2 when it was new in 1993 at Whiteman AFB. I still find it hard to believe that they're already retiring the B-2 and replacing it with the B-21, while the venerable B-52 keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny!
Speaking of the T-38/AT-38, those J85 turbojets are very cool and tough little engines. Flying and instructing Basic Fighter Maneuvers in the AT-38, those J85s would see max AB to idle then right back into max AB in very short time intervals, while pulling g’s, and not cough. Not bad for an engine originally intended for 1-time use. The primary learning from the UPT T-38 supersonic sortie, besides the cool factor, was to see how pre-digital/fly-by-wire flight controls responded between subsonic and supersonic airflow. Setup a subsonic 4g turn while looking at a stab, note the small movement. Push it up just past Mach 1 and repeat the previous exercise. A lot more stab movement for the same G. So, what did we learn Lt Sambait? Maneuvering while decelerating from super to sub, be aware for the potential to over-g the aircraft.
Nice video. The two-seat Grumman Cougar was re-designated TF-9J in 1962. Also can't forget the Cessna T-37 "Tweet" two seat side-by-side trainer, which was developed into the higher powered A-37 Dragonfly during the Vietnam war.
The T-38 and T-33 are my two picks for a better looking two seater over the single. The T-33 is an airplane that always looked smooth and graceful flying. Growing up in Lancaster in the 60's we lived on the edge of west side of town. Every now and then my dad would tell us kids to be outside at a certain time and would give us an impromptu airshow in the T-bird. I spent a good 20 minutes sitting in the cockpit of Lulu Belle at the Smithsonian in 1994 (I think my Aeronca Chief has more instruments). Another aircraft to add to your list of two seaters is the U-2. Several early models (U-2A converted to a U-2D and U-2CT) and later the U-2R (TR-1, U-2S) had trainer specific units. Happy New Year!
What a great video. The photos are amazing. I remember seeing the T- Bird photo on the Hawk model box top. The one that is in the left bank. Great work.
You had me at the T-33. My ultimate warbird ride! Then you mentioned the B-36. I had the honor of touching one of those behemoths a few days go when I was able to take my family to the National Museum of the USAF. Thanks fore all your hard work. Your video presentations are fantastic.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I love your videos that scroll through many different aircraft, and I try to identify a plane before the next image. “Oh oh… that’s a (change plane)…Oh oh, that’s a (change plane).
Another great vid. I agree about b&w photos..they have a certain elegance, as well as taking me back to my elementary school days when most available pics were b&w. And yeah, thank you for the model box pic!!
Great video Mr. Machat, I never realized that many many single seat aircraft had a two-seater brother/sister. As for the Crusader, would not the 2 seat version be called the "Crew"-sader? When the section on the acronyms came up and the term GIB was explained I could not help but have a chuckle. Immediately I thought of the film Blue Thunder and the acronym JAFO. Thanks for taking the time to create and post this history lesson. Well enjoyed it. As for your 'contest''; I enjoy your trivia and Q & A sessions.
Mike, you have a way of coming up with a subject that I never gave much thought to but find very interesting, learn something new every day....... Thanks....
I agree about the F-100F, F-106B and F-16B/D looking great. The F-5B with the tip tanks looks pretty good, a little better than the T-38, always liked the two seat A-4s and F-104s and two seat F-18s. More from inside the cockpit please! Thanks as always for the post.
My grandfather worked in a F-105 factory during the Vietnam War and he was at the area the gun was placed in. He had a story of a worker set the ejection seat off in the factory killing the guy and left a hole in the ceiling, at first someone thought live ammo was brought in somehow and the cannon was fired. I always thought the F-105 looked sexy and the F-4 phantom too, but the F-8 and F-7 crusader 2 are my favorite navy jets from Vietnam War.
The dad of one of my childhood friends had a Mach Buster’s Club plaque on his wall. Since he had been a squadron leader in the RCAF, the plaque was issued by Canadair, the license builder of the Sabre in Canada.
Great topic, always loved the longer lines of the two-seaters. Now you need to do a look at aircraft that started out as two-seaters, then were made into single-seat versions.
Like what? Any two seaters I can think of were either designed that way from the start or came from single seaters. Might be an oddball here or there, though.
Another fascinating video Mr Machat! Who knew? I was familiar with a few of these examples, but was pleasantly surprised by several. As always an informative and educational post as only you can do! I enjoyed it immensely! As always God bless you and yours. Thanks again for everything you do! Take care always Sir!!
Hello from Iceland 🇮🇸 -I enjoyed this video a lot But I in came here to mention that the no.1 reason for my "thumbs up" was the amazing picture ( ca. 5:33 ) of the 3 Shooting Stars... -one of them is breaking off. Just an amazing picture ! -That was the exact moment that I paused to give a "thumbs up" -Cheers from 🇮🇸 Karl Trausti 😃
There was another P-80 based 2 seater, the T2V SeaStar carrier trainer for the Navy. Since the T-33/TV-2 wasn't suitable to carrier landings they beefed it up a lot and made the SeaStar. Another interesting one is the T-45 Goshawk which is the current 2 seat USN carrier trainer. This wasn't based on a single seat aircraft, but from the British 2 seat BAE Hawk trainer, but what makes this interesting is that that aircraft became the BAE Hawk 200 single seat light fighter. Which might be the only example of a 2 seat trainer, becoming a single seat jet fighter (at least that I know of). A really cool thing about two seat trainers is that they aren't just used to train the pilots for flying the single seat versions of the plane, the TA-4s were used to train the RIOs for F-14s in their co-pilot duties during ACM.
The F-101Bs and F-101Fs we had at Tyndall AFB/ADWC here in North Florida were used to support the interceptor training for the F-106s. They'd act as targets on some missions, and tow the big orange plywood targets on others. That is an odd sight! Our T-33As also flew as targets often carrying "radar pods" under the belly, that made the T-bird look like a bomber. We also carried ECM pods to try spoofing the Sixes.
As always , Mike Machat creates a very interesting and informative history of the single seat and the two seat planes created for the military!!! All of those planes are awesome, but my favorite of all of them, is: The Tomcat... What a fantastic plane that is, that should still be operating as the Super Tomcat...
Still operating? Immensely obsolete, expensive to maintain even in its era, and zilch for stealth or combat coordination capabilities. Beautiful, but well past it’s prime.
@@DoctorShocktor without it and the things that were learned from it, we would be way further behind than where we are now... And when people decide to forget about lessons learned, sometimes things that are bad, can and often will happen... One thing that comes to mind about this is how the lessons learned on the earlier space exploration programs like Mercury and Gemini were just pushed aside and labeled as 'obsolete', and largely because of that mentality, the U.S. space program had suffered the tragic loss of 3-astronauts because the tests in the capsule were done in a highly rich oxygen environment... Once a fire started with the flammable materials in that capsule, very few things could stop it because of the extremely high concentration of oxygen... From what I heard about that, several people in the Apollo program decided not to heed the advice from the engineers from the Mercury and Gemini programs.... It was tragic....
Another great video Mike. Love the black and white photos of the natural aluminum aircraft. To me the 2nd cockpit made some of the aircraft look ungainly. Looks like a forward CG problem waiting to happen! Two sader, F-86, F-100, F-104, F-106, and of course the A-10. I'm sure the weight and balance was fine with them, they just look funny. Boy, if I could ever win the lottery, I'd try to find a 2 seat trainer version of the cougar and make it airworthy. Love the lines of that aircraft. Like a F-101B only smaller. Of course it's tough to beat the sexy lines of the T-38. The "white rocket"! Anyway, the Walter Mitty in us all comes to the fore as we look at your great video's. Anybody got a all natural T-34 for sale?!!!!!!
Thank you for a very original topic on aviation. Mike. Off topic, I noticed the Boeing F-32 in the background of the Super Hornet photo. Boy, I feel sorry for the pilot who had to fly that one. Thank you for the hint to the book on America's Round Engine Airliners. I got my copy and can recommend it to anyone with an interest in classic propliners.
I'm drawn to the Harrier T2 trainer, a two-seater. Something about the protruding canopy gives it a much more sexy profile. It's a shame though that all of these beautiful planes exist to prevent war, or fight in one. Some day, I hope our technology will team with art to create sleek, dynamic vehicles that exist purely to please the eye.
Although you mentioned the EA-6B, you left out the A-6 and the Douglas F-3 Skynight, both single-stick, dual-crew aircraft. Can't help my bias... I was a Squid!
Great episode! As a former A-4/TA-4 tech, I recognized the view from the back seat of the TA-4J. It does make me curious about a tangential topic... which backseater has the worst view of the outside? I'm guessing the B-58 or SR-71 would be in contention. Another tangent... how many back seats can you be trapped in? The TA-4 backseat had no way to raise the canopy when the engine was stopped. Only the front seat had a pump handle for that purpose.
@@thunderamu9543 Actually the Guy-in-Front on the B-47 originally had a plexiglass nose. As radar and in-flight refueling equipment was added, his world got more claustrophobic. Pix I've seen often have some vestigial side windows... I thought B/N's world was just an Oscilloscope to monitor the radar.
Interesting that the Lockheed A-12 was single seat aircraft and that the SR-71 was a two seat aircraft, both for recce missions. The SR-71 being equipped with more complex mission systems requiring a second crew member.
7:40 Canberra is pronounced as a two-syllable word with the first syllable stressed and the second sort of slurred, as in Can-brra. The British version is actually a multi-seat aircraft, with the bombardier/navigator in a fuselage/nose station. It is my understanding that British Canberra PR.9's had an extensive service life with 60,000 feet regularly reached, while the WB-57 clocked in at over 100,000 on at least one occasion. Not bad for a 1940s design.
And no. The word, as many do, has different pronunciations in different countries and cultures. The Martin Canberra was spoken according to its American origins.
🇦🇺 Thank you, another great video! I disagree about the two seaters looking better than the singles, especially the F86 which is arguably the best looking aircraft ever made. F16 a close second.
beautiful video. really fascinating how some of these craft evolved. Its amazing how some of the aircraft soldiered on for decades. If they had a good airframe (i.e. good bones) the avionics could often be swapped out and in some cases the power plant as well. In terms of evolution of design I think the ultimate may be the Northrup N-102, it spawned the F-5, T-38, F-20 and ultimately the p-530 that lead to the YF-17 an ultimately the F-18. Thanks or a fascinating video.
All F-18's are Carrier capable. the differences between the A/B and the C/D models are just slight upgrades. I was a Super Hornet guy so I can't tell you the exact differences, but I can tell you that VFA-125 had A through D models back in 2006/2007.
Appreciate the comment, and thanks for your service. (Hornets rule!) NASA Test Pilot Dana Purafoy was the one who told me NASA's F-18s were no longer carrier-capable due to mods made for their flight test role. Thanks for watching!
Great video thanks. Have to disagree with you on the F-16, for me the single seat is possibly one of the most beautiful aircraft ever to take to the sky. Looks like the pilot sits on it. While undoubtedly still a good looking airframe, I think the two seater loses a little of the magic. Vive le difference as a Frenchie would say.
Excellent, as all of your videos are. I think almost all of the two seat versions are better looking than their single seat counterparts. The F-18 is way better looking as a two seat ship, IMHO. Just a bit of clarification - I believe the USAF engineer you refer to as Jack Russell, is actually Jack Ridley.
Thanks for your comment. Jack Russel who is pictured in the XP-59 front cockpit in my video was a civilian Flight Test Engineer who retired during the X-15 Program. Captain Jack Ridley, Chuck Yeager's best friend and fellow West Virginian, was an Air Force pilot who was killed in the crash of a Douglas C-47 in Japan in 1957.
As the "loyal wingman" or related concepts sort themselves out, it is not a stretch to think that a second crewman might return. The Chinese seem to think so.
Have had several questions about this, but looking at Northrop records, the single-seat N-156 Freedom Fighter was a 1956 project which became the two-seat N-156T. That design evolved into the T-38 Talon which first flew in 1959, while the single-seat N-156 in full battle-dress became the F-5 series.
Liked this overview, I often prefer the looks of a two-seater over the single seater. :) :) But I tend to disagree with a premiss you made in the beginning of the video, pointing to an unmanned aircraft not needing a pilot at all. Coming from a military UAV background, I consider the opposite to be true! The pilot is still there, he/she is just no longer physically in the aircraft. Further more, just look at any "cockpit" for a UAV (to not call it a Ground Control Station). More often than not it has a TWO man crew! A pilot and a payload operator. It's actually quite remarkable that the evolution towards so called "unmanned" aircraft actually often means the return to two-man crews! The amount of data these UAVs pull in, requires also a small army of intel officers to make sense of it all. This had led me to give plenty of briefings to my higher-ups with the words: " there is no such thing as an "unmanned" aircraft" when they thaught we would need less personnel in the future :). But i guess this could be worth a video on its own :D ;)
Excellent point! There are so many new names today - unmanned, uncrewed, remotely-piloted, et al. To be more accurate, I'll use "no onboard pilot" for these aircraft. Thanks for watching!
Good question, and the Grumman A-6 was not included because it was designed from inception as a two-seat aircraft. This video addressed single-seat aircraft that were adapted into their two-seat variants. Thanks for watching!
As described in the title, this video is about two-seat military aircraft that were modified from their original single-seat predecessors. The Grumman A-6 Intruder was designed from the start as a two-seat, two-crew aircraft.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782I was an A6 Plane Captain. I have a certain fondness for an A/C that I don't feel gets the credit it deserves. It was not an especially pretty aircraft, but the beauty was internal and undeniable. I appreciate that you took the time to respond to my comment, and I follow your posts faithfully. I apologize for jumping to a conclusion based on a sloppy reading of your text.
This video deals with converted two-seat U.S. jets as shown in the title - we included the Lightning to show its side-by-side seating configuration. We will be including more content on international aircraft subjects in future videos. Thanks for watching!
The two-seat F-106B retained the full combat capability of the single-seat F-106A. There was also the F-101F Voodoo two-seater, which had full flight controls in the back cockpit, unlike the B model. Bell also built a two-seat P-63 with the second cockpit behind the mid-mounted engine, with it's own bubble canopy. And, there were some two-seat P-51 Mustangs built/converted, as well as British Spitfires.
Unlike the side by side TF-102A which lost it’s Hughes combat systems, as it was strictly for transition training. Although it did fly a few FAC missions.
Now I wonder if the B21 has reclining seats so one pilot can take a nap while the other flies. Who was the old man out on the B36 if they had 17 crew and two shifts? The cook?
I hadn't seen a photo of a two-seat F-86 before--thanks. A formation of F-86A fighters did a fly by on Disneyland's opening day. All Canberra bombers had two seats--visit Hill Aerospace Museum the next time you're in town (it's free) and look into the cockpit of the B-57 on display. There is a second crew position behind the pilot but that guy-in-back doesn't have a canopy. At that museum is a two-seat F-105 and an F-101B. Speaking of two seats, there's a new missile launch control center mockup with--yes, two seats. I'll need to look again to see if the underground silos had seat belts for those seats.
Yes, the B-21 has two seats. It also has the ability to fly missions with those seats empty. It can either fly a pre-programmed mission; or be controlled remotely thru a secure satellite link
My pick for most beautiful twin seater is the T38. Dunno why, but it just looks sleek n sexy. The F100 dual captured my imagination as a kid. My favorite tandem seater is the English Electric Lightning. It just looks right. I missed seeing the F111...?
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782True, the only issue being your description of the TF-102A… bunch of inaccuracies, though outside your video’s main topic.
Many errors in this vid. Warthog N/AW does NOT stand for Night/All Weather. Two-seat Eagles were originally designated TF-15A. Curious wording which made it sound like the F-5 was developed into the T-38, which is of course backwards. The TA-7C is mentioned, but no word about the A-7K. He injects the Electric Lightning, in a vid ostensibly about US aircraft. This would open a huge can of worms. No mention about the F/FB-111. He explains here in the comments that it is because the video is about single-seat aircraft modded into 2-seaters. Yet he included the A-5 & F-14 ...which only had 2-seats. Like the B-21, which he has a non-sequitur ending for, by jumping to the B-36. A much more relevant topic would have been explaining WHY today's jets can get away with not having two-seat trainers. Sims got much better, for one major reason. Back to the F-15, it would be good to highlight the fact that the single-seaters were made with room in the cockpit for two. This points to the decision to not have a Pitter was an afterthought. Another good aspect to discuss is visibility from the 2nd seat. F-4G's had no fwd view, for example. And this goes into the advantages vs disadvantages of tandem vs side-by-side configs. F-102 vs F-106, for example. As for names given to that 2nd person, when seated side-by-side, because 'GIB' didn’t apply, that crewmember was called the 'YOT'. You-Over-There. The joke was that pilots could sound like they were upper crust by bragging about having a YOT (yacht). Arr arr. That one got around among Vark types. I don't know about the Intruder community. Another popular joke was what to call two-seaters in general: The family model.
Mike, how could you forget the vaunted Vark - two seats brother! Number 2 all time sexy, hot two seater is the F-5F. Look much meaner than the T-38 or F-5B. F-106B Definitely the most sexy two seater and looks like it's doing Mach on the ramp. Used to watch the last F-106Bs chase the B-1Bs on their FCFs after depot overhaul at Tinker. They were immaculate, shiny with killer tail markings. Those pilots would taxi past us on the alert ramp at the south end of the runway, canopy open, masks off with huge smiles on their faces. They knew they were in a Sierra Hotel mount. I'll bet you dimes to dollars nobody has ever been closer to Darts and Bones during full burner, brake hold and then release launches as we were on Romeo 12! Gut rattling runups and takeoffs, just maxing both birds out, letting the engine instruments stabilize for thirty seconds before brake release. Simply had to be there. No words do justice to the experience.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Got ahead of myself. Excellent video. Being a model geek also, I always try to get the two seat variants in the collection. Keep up the good work!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782Except the Vark DOES fulfill the requirements you erroneously give to the TF-102A (still off topic for the video however)
TF-102A the only century series side-by-side fighter? F-111? I know it's "outside" the count by some, but I make and accept no such distinction. It has a designation over 100, end of story.
@@johnosbourn4312 My mistake. I meant the Douglas F3D-2, Skyknight which was used as a nightfighter during the Korean Police Action. The radar operator was usually a staff NCO, not an officer, so, "RIO " would be incorrect. Also the aircraft had side-by-side seats.
@@HootOwl513 You're correct, and I recommend that you pick up the latest Combat Aircraft volume fro Osprey Publishing, F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units of the Korea, and Vietnam Wars.
Aviation Week has an interesting story. My dad subscribed to the magazine for years, in the 80's we hosted a Swedish exchange student and as the school year was coming to a close her parents came to visit. Her dad saw my dad's copy of Aviation Week and became convinced that my dad's real job was something to do with military intelligence. That his job as an oil refinery technician was just a cover. For several years the KGB tried to acquire copies of the magazine surreptitiously. Until the magazine learned of this and gifted subscriptions to the Soviet Ambassador and the Soviet Air Force. For quite some time the KGB still tried getting copies surreptitiously until they were sure that the subscriptions they were getting were the real magazine and not filled with misinformation.
Off topic question but one you may know, I’m looking up paint schemes for the A-20, and come across online pages with multiple profile views of different schemes, but can’t figure out what the source books for all these is as they aren’t labeled with sources, have any ideas?
I started in the USAF as a Crew Chief on B-52H's at Minot AFB, then transitioned to the B-2 when it was new in 1993 at Whiteman AFB. I still find it hard to believe that they're already retiring the B-2 and replacing it with the B-21, while the venerable B-52 keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny!
B-52 is a dumptruck bomber. An a great trainer thats why
They will have it close by in the clutch. It is crazy how long it served. Legend. The B-21 is optimized.
Speaking of the T-38/AT-38, those J85 turbojets are very cool and tough little engines. Flying and instructing Basic Fighter Maneuvers in the AT-38, those J85s would see max AB to idle then right back into max AB in very short time intervals, while pulling g’s, and not cough. Not bad for an engine originally intended for 1-time use. The primary learning from the UPT T-38 supersonic sortie, besides the cool factor, was to see how pre-digital/fly-by-wire flight controls responded between subsonic and supersonic airflow. Setup a subsonic 4g turn while looking at a stab, note the small movement. Push it up just past Mach 1 and repeat the previous exercise. A lot more stab movement for the same G. So, what did we learn Lt Sambait? Maneuvering while decelerating from super to sub, be aware for the potential to over-g the aircraft.
Terrific comment, thanks! My first supersonic flight was in a T-38, and rolled the aircraft at Mach 3.2.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 excellent video Mike..the English Electric Lightning was also used by the Saudi and Kuwati Air forces
Genuine question...whats the difference between a turbo jet and a turbo fan?
They fly in here all the time.
"Lt Sambait" lol🤣
There was Singapore Air Force converted the A4 to have the off set second seat on the back too.
Yes, I've seen that one. Good comment, thanks!
Nice video. The two-seat Grumman Cougar was re-designated TF-9J in 1962. Also can't forget the Cessna T-37 "Tweet" two seat side-by-side trainer, which was developed into the higher powered A-37 Dragonfly during the Vietnam war.
The T-38 and T-33 are my two picks for a better looking two seater over the single. The T-33 is an airplane that always looked smooth and graceful flying. Growing up in Lancaster in the 60's we lived on the edge of west side of town. Every now and then my dad would tell us kids to be outside at a certain time and would give us an impromptu airshow in the T-bird. I spent a good 20 minutes sitting in the cockpit of Lulu Belle at the Smithsonian in 1994 (I think my Aeronca Chief has more instruments). Another aircraft to add to your list of two seaters is the U-2. Several early models (U-2A converted to a U-2D and U-2CT) and later the U-2R (TR-1, U-2S) had trainer specific units. Happy New Year!
Check out an F-5F and let me know what you think!
What a great video. The photos are amazing. I remember seeing the T- Bird photo on the Hawk model box top. The one that is in the left bank. Great work.
Thanks John, and this one was a blast to put together!
You had me at the T-33. My ultimate warbird ride! Then you mentioned the B-36. I had the honor of touching one of those behemoths a few days go when I was able to take my family to the National Museum of the USAF. Thanks fore all your hard work. Your video presentations are fantastic.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
I don’t know about anybody else, but I love your videos that scroll through many different aircraft, and I try to identify a plane before the next image. “Oh oh… that’s a (change plane)…Oh oh, that’s a (change plane).
Loved this - have most of those waiting in the stash. Even the 2 seat F-16XL
Another great one Mike. I'd love to see a 'from inside the cockpit ' video'.
Done!
Mike, you might consider doing an episode describing the F-15EX, a two-seater with stand-off capability.
Another great vid.
I agree about b&w photos..they have a certain elegance, as well as taking me back to my elementary school days when most available pics were b&w.
And yeah, thank you for the model box pic!!
Great video Mr. Machat, I never realized that many many single seat aircraft had a two-seater brother/sister. As for the Crusader, would not the 2 seat version be called the "Crew"-sader? When the section on the acronyms came up and the term GIB was explained I could not help but have a chuckle. Immediately I thought of the film Blue Thunder and the acronym JAFO. Thanks for taking the time to create and post this history lesson. Well enjoyed it. As for your 'contest''; I enjoy your trivia and Q & A sessions.
I've always thought the military services have kept the T-38 in service for so long just because pilots look so damn cool flying them. 😎
F9F-8T is a beautiful two-seater. Hadn’t seen it before. Thanks.
Mike, you have a way of coming up with a subject that I never gave much thought to but find very interesting, learn something new every day....... Thanks....
Good stuff Mike - and absolutely superb photos. Two enthusiastic thumbs up with each and every presentation!
Many thanks!
Fascinating episode for jet aircraft variants that I never knew!
Thanks Paul!
I agree about the F-100F, F-106B and F-16B/D looking great. The F-5B with the tip tanks looks pretty good, a little better than the T-38, always liked the two seat A-4s and F-104s and two seat F-18s. More from inside the cockpit please! Thanks as always for the post.
Nice to do the art and pictures in black and white. I also have fond memories at the old aviation magazines.
As usual, great photos supporting great subject matter. Thanks Mike.
Thanks for another great one. Love the 2 Sader
I agree that nearly all of these look better in two-seat configuration.
Stellar research and great production.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
My brother was an F-16 instructor pilot who flew both single & two seat trainer models depending on the mission.
My grandfather worked in a F-105 factory during the Vietnam War and he was at the area the gun was placed in. He had a story of a worker set the ejection seat off in the factory killing the guy and left a hole in the ceiling, at first someone thought live ammo was brought in somehow and the cannon was fired. I always thought the F-105 looked sexy and the F-4 phantom too, but the F-8 and F-7 crusader 2 are my favorite navy jets from Vietnam War.
The dad of one of my childhood friends had a Mach Buster’s Club plaque on his wall. Since he had been a squadron leader in the RCAF, the plaque was issued by Canadair, the license builder of the Sabre in Canada.
Great topic, always loved the longer lines of the two-seaters. Now you need to do a look at aircraft that started out as two-seaters, then were made into single-seat versions.
Like what? Any two seaters I can think of were either designed that way from the start or came from single seaters. Might be an oddball here or there, though.
Another fascinating video Mr Machat! Who knew? I was familiar with a few of these examples, but was pleasantly surprised by several. As always an informative and educational post as only you can do! I enjoyed it immensely! As always God bless you and yours. Thanks again for everything you do! Take care always Sir!!
My father did nuclear bomb delivery test with the F-100F. Another fantastic video Mike! Thanks for all your hard work.👍👏👨🦳
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
Hello from Iceland 🇮🇸
-I enjoyed this video a lot
But I in came here to mention that the no.1 reason for my "thumbs up" was the amazing picture ( ca. 5:33 )
of the 3 Shooting Stars... -one of them is breaking off.
Just an amazing picture !
-That was the exact moment that I paused to give a "thumbs up"
-Cheers from 🇮🇸
Karl Trausti 😃
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
There was another P-80 based 2 seater, the T2V SeaStar carrier trainer for the Navy. Since the T-33/TV-2 wasn't suitable to carrier landings they beefed it up a lot and made the SeaStar.
Another interesting one is the T-45 Goshawk which is the current 2 seat USN carrier trainer. This wasn't based on a single seat aircraft, but from the British 2 seat BAE Hawk trainer, but what makes this interesting is that that aircraft became the BAE Hawk 200 single seat light fighter. Which might be the only example of a 2 seat trainer, becoming a single seat jet fighter (at least that I know of).
A really cool thing about two seat trainers is that they aren't just used to train the pilots for flying the single seat versions of the plane, the TA-4s were used to train the RIOs for F-14s in their co-pilot duties during ACM.
The F-101Bs and F-101Fs we had at Tyndall AFB/ADWC here in North Florida were used to support the interceptor training for the F-106s. They'd act as targets on some missions, and tow the big orange plywood targets on others. That is an odd sight! Our T-33As also flew as targets often carrying "radar pods" under the belly, that made the T-bird look like a bomber. We also carried ECM pods to try spoofing the Sixes.
The F-86 always strikes me as having a very small empennage, especially elevators. Maybe that's from being so familiar with more modern jet fighters.
Mike,you missed an acronym there.GIF,guy in front in the Airacomet.
I bet that was a wild ride!"Where's the FNG?Stick him up front!"
This information was honestly very useful and helpful
As always , Mike Machat creates a very interesting and informative history of the single seat and the two seat planes created for the military!!! All of those planes are awesome, but my favorite of all of them, is: The Tomcat... What a fantastic plane that is, that should still be operating as the Super Tomcat...
Yes, I totally agree on that, because I love the Big Cat.
Still operating? Immensely obsolete, expensive to maintain even in its era, and zilch for stealth or combat coordination capabilities. Beautiful, but well past it’s prime.
@@DoctorShocktor without it and the things that were learned from it, we would be way further behind than where we are now... And when people decide to forget about lessons learned, sometimes things that are bad, can and often will happen... One thing that comes to mind about this is how the lessons learned on the earlier space exploration programs like Mercury and Gemini were just pushed aside and labeled as 'obsolete', and largely because of that mentality, the U.S. space program had suffered the tragic loss of 3-astronauts because the tests in the capsule were done in a highly rich oxygen environment... Once a fire started with the flammable materials in that capsule, very few things could stop it because of the extremely high concentration of oxygen... From what I heard about that, several people in the Apollo program decided not to heed the advice from the engineers from the Mercury and Gemini programs.... It was tragic....
Wonderful content as always Mike. I'm with Max on seeing a "From inside the cockpit" video. I'm sure it will be a hit.
Another great video Mike. Love the black and white photos of the natural aluminum aircraft. To me the 2nd cockpit made some of the aircraft look ungainly. Looks like a forward CG problem waiting to happen! Two sader, F-86, F-100, F-104, F-106, and of course the A-10. I'm sure the weight and balance was fine with them, they just look funny. Boy, if I could ever win the lottery, I'd try to find a 2 seat trainer version of the cougar and make it airworthy. Love the lines of that aircraft. Like a F-101B only smaller. Of course it's tough to beat the sexy lines of the T-38. The "white rocket"! Anyway, the Walter Mitty in us all comes to the fore as we look at your great video's. Anybody got a all natural T-34 for sale?!!!!!!
As an after thought Mike. When/if you do a NATO single to double seater, be sure to check out the Mirage F-1B. Just about as sleek as they get.
Thank you for a very original topic on aviation. Mike. Off topic, I noticed the Boeing F-32 in the background of the Super Hornet photo. Boy, I feel sorry for the pilot who had to fly that one. Thank you for the hint to the book on America's Round Engine Airliners. I got my copy and can recommend it to anyone with an interest in classic propliners.
Appreciate the comment and your buying the book, thanks!
F106B is good looking! 😍
I'm drawn to the Harrier T2 trainer, a two-seater. Something about the protruding canopy gives it a much more sexy profile. It's a shame though that all of these beautiful planes exist to prevent war, or fight in one. Some day, I hope our technology will team with art to create sleek, dynamic vehicles that exist purely to please the eye.
Although you mentioned the EA-6B, you left out the A-6 and the Douglas F-3 Skynight, both single-stick, dual-crew aircraft. Can't help my bias... I was a Squid!
Good point, and no problem. This video featured single-seat aircraft that were converted to two-seaters. Thanks for watching!
Transition from single seat…
Great video
Great episode! As a former A-4/TA-4 tech, I recognized the view from the back seat of the TA-4J. It does make me curious about a tangential topic... which backseater has the worst view of the outside? I'm guessing the B-58 or SR-71 would be in contention. Another tangent... how many back seats can you be trapped in? The TA-4 backseat had no way to raise the canopy when the engine was stopped. Only the front seat had a pump handle for that purpose.
Great comment, thanks, and from what I've heard from its GIBs, the F-105F/G wins that contest. Thanks for watching!
The B47s' BN or WSO, was stuffed into a baggage compartment in the nose. No windows at all.
@@HootOwl513 C'mon, he had a periscope!
@@thunderamu9543 Actually the Guy-in-Front on the B-47 originally had a plexiglass nose. As radar and in-flight refueling equipment was added, his world got more claustrophobic. Pix I've seen often have some vestigial side windows...
I thought B/N's world was just an Oscilloscope to monitor the radar.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I would think that the A3J gib has less to see than one in an F105. Along with the ones in SR71s and the B58.
Interesting that the Lockheed A-12 was single seat aircraft and that the SR-71 was a two seat aircraft, both for recce missions. The SR-71 being equipped with more complex mission systems requiring a second crew member.
Good catch - should have included that one! Thanks for watching.
7:40 Canberra is pronounced as a two-syllable word with the first syllable stressed and the second sort of slurred, as in Can-brra. The British version is actually a multi-seat aircraft, with the bombardier/navigator in a fuselage/nose station.
It is my understanding that British Canberra PR.9's had an extensive service life with 60,000 feet regularly reached, while the WB-57 clocked in at over 100,000 on at least one occasion. Not bad for a 1940s design.
And no. The word, as many do, has different pronunciations in different countries and cultures. The Martin Canberra was spoken according to its American origins.
@@DoctorShocktor The culture and nation it originated from has the right to call the shots.
🇦🇺 Thank you, another great video! I disagree about the two seaters looking better than the singles, especially the F86 which is arguably the best looking aircraft ever made. F16 a close second.
The twin tail plane at 2 minutes looks like a Navy Vought Cutlass from the 1950s.
The Navy version of the F-86 started out as a straight winged carrier version
Do you have your exit buddy? Great episode!
The two seat Grumman F9F was informally called "Twogar"
Love it!
beautiful video. really fascinating how some of these craft evolved. Its amazing how some of the aircraft soldiered on for decades. If they had a good airframe (i.e. good bones) the avionics could often be swapped out and in some cases the power plant as well. In terms of evolution of design I think the ultimate may be the Northrup N-102, it spawned the F-5, T-38, F-20 and ultimately the p-530 that lead to the YF-17 an ultimately the F-18. Thanks or a fascinating video.
Great point, thanks Chuck!
There was also the side by side seating of the F-111 so no conversion was needed
The point of the video is TRANSITION aircraft. There are loads of side by side aircraft/jets, not the point.
All F-18's are Carrier capable. the differences between the A/B and the C/D models are just slight upgrades. I was a Super Hornet guy so I can't tell you the exact differences, but I can tell you that VFA-125 had A through D models back in 2006/2007.
Appreciate the comment, and thanks for your service. (Hornets rule!) NASA Test Pilot Dana Purafoy was the one who told me NASA's F-18s were no longer carrier-capable due to mods made for their flight test role. Thanks for watching!
Great video thanks. Have to disagree with you on the F-16, for me the single seat is possibly one of the most beautiful aircraft ever to take to the sky. Looks like the pilot sits on it. While undoubtedly still a good looking airframe, I think the two seater loses a little of the magic. Vive le difference as a Frenchie would say.
Excellent, as all of your videos are. I think almost all of the two seat versions are better looking than their single seat counterparts. The F-18 is way better looking as a two seat ship, IMHO. Just a bit of clarification - I believe the USAF engineer you refer to as Jack Russell, is actually Jack Ridley.
Thanks for your comment. Jack Russel who is pictured in the XP-59 front cockpit in my video was a civilian Flight Test Engineer who retired during the X-15 Program. Captain Jack Ridley, Chuck Yeager's best friend and fellow West Virginian, was an Air Force pilot who was killed in the crash of a Douglas C-47 in Japan in 1957.
Very nice chanel
Many thanks!
The pilot does not have to share his ACE award with anyone he gets the whole award Status to himself as it should be !
What about the F3D Skyknight as the Navy's first dedicated two seat jet combat capable aircraft? F3D Flew 10 years before the A-5 or A3J.
Excellent point, thanks.
Open cockpit built into the nose of a jet in front of the pilot in a closed cockpit. Now I've seen everything, 😂😂😂👍🏻
Economy Class
As the "loyal wingman" or related concepts sort themselves out, it is not a stretch to think that a second crewman might return. The Chinese seem to think so.
Thanks Mike & Team.
Just 2 more reasons for a SUBSCRIPTION!
Best to you Scott🇺🇸
I thought the F-5 was derived from the T-38 as an export fighter?
Have had several questions about this, but looking at Northrop records, the single-seat N-156 Freedom Fighter was a 1956 project which became the two-seat N-156T. That design evolved into the T-38 Talon which first flew in 1959, while the single-seat N-156 in full battle-dress became the F-5 series.
You covered the F-5A and T-38, but you forgot the F-5B and F-5F!!!
Liked this overview, I often prefer the looks of a two-seater over the single seater. :) :)
But I tend to disagree with a premiss you made in the beginning of the video, pointing to an unmanned aircraft not needing a pilot at all. Coming from a military UAV background, I consider the opposite to be true! The pilot is still there, he/she is just no longer physically in the aircraft. Further more, just look at any "cockpit" for a UAV (to not call it a Ground Control Station). More often than not it has a TWO man crew! A pilot and a payload operator. It's actually quite remarkable that the evolution towards so called "unmanned" aircraft actually often means the return to two-man crews! The amount of data these UAVs pull in, requires also a small army of intel officers to make sense of it all. This had led me to give plenty of briefings to my higher-ups with the words: " there is no such thing as an "unmanned" aircraft" when they thaught we would need less personnel in the future :).
But i guess this could be worth a video on its own :D ;)
Excellent point! There are so many new names today - unmanned, uncrewed, remotely-piloted, et al. To be more accurate, I'll use "no onboard pilot" for these aircraft. Thanks for watching!
What about the A6 Intruder & BN =bombardier/navigator?
Read the video title
@@DoctorShocktor Hum? A6 is a 2 seater. Pilot and Bombardier/Navigator
the B-21 is Optionally Manned
Wasn’t the F-111 a side by side Century series??
Was the A-6 Intruder mentioned?
Good question, and the Grumman A-6 was not included because it was designed from inception as a two-seat aircraft. This video addressed single-seat aircraft that were adapted into their two-seat variants. Thanks for watching!
F3D Skyknight?
Then there was the TAV8A two seat Harrier trainer. It's British, so does that count?
The video title literally says U.S. Jet aircraft…
If the US Marines fly it, it's American.
Was there ever a fighter called the Wombat??
There is an English Gyrocopter with that name. It was even used in a James Bond film. Thanks for watching.
AF always made the back seater a second class citizen. IE the pilot's assistant, not associate.
No A6. Typical.
As described in the title, this video is about two-seat military aircraft that were modified from their original single-seat predecessors. The Grumman A-6 Intruder was designed from the start as a two-seat, two-crew aircraft.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782I was an A6 Plane Captain. I have a certain fondness for an A/C that I don't feel gets the credit it deserves. It was not an especially pretty aircraft, but the beauty was internal and undeniable. I appreciate that you took the time to respond to my comment, and I follow your posts faithfully. I apologize for jumping to a conclusion based on a sloppy reading of your text.
Mmmmm... No French and only one British? A little dissapointing. Please remember that the center of the universe is not (really) american.
This video deals with converted two-seat U.S. jets as shown in the title - we included the Lightning to show its side-by-side seating configuration. We will be including more content on international aircraft subjects in future videos. Thanks for watching!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782
Thanks... Please do... 😁
@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 >>> 👍👍
The two-seat F-106B retained the full combat capability of the single-seat F-106A. There was also the F-101F Voodoo two-seater, which had full flight controls in the back cockpit, unlike the B model.
Bell also built a two-seat P-63 with the second cockpit behind the mid-mounted engine, with it's own bubble canopy.
And, there were some two-seat P-51 Mustangs built/converted, as well as British Spitfires.
Always thought the F-106B looked as good as an A.
@@joeschenk8400 Agreed!
The two seat Spitfire variant is the Spitfire TR.9.
Unlike the side by side TF-102A which lost it’s Hughes combat systems, as it was strictly for transition training. Although it did fly a few FAC missions.
Now I wonder if the B21 has reclining seats so one pilot can take a nap while the other flies. Who was the old man out on the B36 if they had 17 crew and two shifts? The cook?
I hadn't seen a photo of a two-seat F-86 before--thanks. A formation of F-86A fighters did a fly by on Disneyland's opening day.
All Canberra bombers had two seats--visit Hill Aerospace Museum the next time you're in town (it's free) and look into the cockpit of the B-57 on display. There is a second crew position behind the pilot but that guy-in-back doesn't have a canopy. At that museum is a two-seat F-105 and an F-101B. Speaking of two seats, there's a new missile launch control center mockup with--yes, two seats. I'll need to look again to see if the underground silos had seat belts for those seats.
Yes, the B-21 has two seats. It also has the ability to fly missions with those seats empty. It can either fly a pre-programmed mission; or be controlled remotely thru a secure satellite link
My pick for most beautiful twin seater is the T38. Dunno why, but it just looks sleek n sexy. The F100 dual captured my imagination as a kid. My favorite tandem seater is the English Electric Lightning. It just looks right. I missed seeing the F111...?
Thanks for your comment and yes, the F-111 was not included, as the aircraft in this video were two-seat variants of single-seat aircraft.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782True, the only issue being your description of the TF-102A… bunch of inaccuracies, though outside your video’s main topic.
Many errors in this vid.
Warthog N/AW does NOT stand for Night/All Weather. Two-seat Eagles were originally designated TF-15A. Curious wording which made it sound like the F-5 was developed into the T-38, which is of course backwards. The TA-7C is mentioned, but no word about the A-7K.
He injects the Electric Lightning, in a vid ostensibly about US aircraft. This would open a huge can of worms.
No mention about the F/FB-111. He explains here in the comments that it is because the video is about single-seat aircraft modded into 2-seaters. Yet he included the A-5 & F-14 ...which only had 2-seats. Like the B-21, which he has a non-sequitur ending for, by jumping to the B-36.
A much more relevant topic would have been explaining WHY today's jets can get away with not having two-seat trainers. Sims got much better, for one major reason.
Back to the F-15, it would be good to highlight the fact that the single-seaters were made with room in the cockpit for two. This points to the decision to not have a Pitter was an afterthought.
Another good aspect to discuss is visibility from the 2nd seat. F-4G's had no fwd view, for example. And this goes into the advantages vs disadvantages of tandem vs side-by-side configs. F-102 vs F-106, for example.
As for names given to that 2nd person, when seated side-by-side, because 'GIB' didn’t apply, that crewmember was called the 'YOT'.
You-Over-There.
The joke was that pilots could sound like they were upper crust by bragging about having a YOT (yacht). Arr arr. That one got around among Vark types. I don't know about the Intruder community.
Another popular joke was what to call two-seaters in general:
The family model.
Mike, how could you forget the vaunted Vark - two seats brother! Number 2 all time sexy, hot two seater is the F-5F. Look much meaner than the T-38 or F-5B. F-106B Definitely the most sexy two seater and looks like it's doing Mach on the ramp. Used to watch the last F-106Bs chase the B-1Bs on their FCFs after depot overhaul at Tinker. They were immaculate, shiny with killer tail markings. Those pilots would taxi past us on the alert ramp at the south end of the runway, canopy open, masks off with huge smiles on their faces. They knew they were in a Sierra Hotel mount. I'll bet you dimes to dollars nobody has ever been closer to Darts and Bones during full burner, brake hold and then release launches as we were on Romeo 12! Gut rattling runups and takeoffs, just maxing both birds out, letting the engine instruments stabilize for thirty seconds before brake release. Simply had to be there. No words do justice to the experience.
Thanks for your comment and yes, the F-111 was not included, as the airplanes in this video were two-seat variants of single-seat aircraft.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Got ahead of myself. Excellent video. Being a model geek also, I always try to get the two seat variants in the collection. Keep up the good work!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782Except the Vark DOES fulfill the requirements you erroneously give to the TF-102A (still off topic for the video however)
Mike I just thought of another jet where I think the 2 seater looks better than the single.....google the Mirage F-1B. Very sexy looking machine.
TF-102A the only century series side-by-side fighter?
F-111?
I know it's "outside" the count by some, but I make and accept no such distinction. It has a designation over 100, end of story.
I had the great fortune to see an F-100 in person. I even got to touch it, with permission. It was up in Stead, Nv.
I´ll bet a lot of these beautiful planes are painted _red_ -- but then I´ll never know....
Great video, Mike. But did you forget the Douglas A3D?.
[Correction: F3D-2. ]
They had a RIO, too.
Actually, no, the RIO was only in the F-4, and F-14 communities, what you're describing is the B/N, which was also in the A-6 community, as well.
@@johnosbourn4312 My mistake. I meant the Douglas F3D-2, Skyknight which was used as a nightfighter during the Korean Police Action. The radar operator was usually a staff NCO, not an officer, so, "RIO " would be incorrect. Also the aircraft had side-by-side seats.
@@HootOwl513TRANSITION FROM SINGLE SEAT. It’s literally in the title of the video.
@@HootOwl513 You're correct, and I recommend that you pick up the latest Combat Aircraft volume fro Osprey Publishing, F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units of the Korea, and Vietnam Wars.
@@johnosbourn4312 I have the 1/72 Matchbox kit of the Skyknight. It has decals for VMF(N)-513 in Korea. My squadron but when I was still an infant.
Aviation Week has an interesting story. My dad subscribed to the magazine for years, in the 80's we hosted a Swedish exchange student and as the school year was coming to a close her parents came to visit. Her dad saw my dad's copy of Aviation Week and became convinced that my dad's real job was something to do with military intelligence. That his job as an oil refinery technician was just a cover.
For several years the KGB tried to acquire copies of the magazine surreptitiously. Until the magazine learned of this and gifted subscriptions to the Soviet Ambassador and the Soviet Air Force.
For quite some time the KGB still tried getting copies surreptitiously until they were sure that the subscriptions they were getting were the real magazine and not filled with misinformation.
Great comment, thanks!
Off topic question but one you may know, I’m looking up paint schemes for the A-20, and come across online pages with multiple profile views of different schemes, but can’t figure out what the source books for all these is as they aren’t labeled with sources, have any ideas?
Not familiar with those, sorry. Thanks for watching.