The twin PT6A-34B turboprop Beech King Air B90 was adopted in 1977 by the Navy as the T-44 Pegasus for “intermediate and advanced multi-engine flight training for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and select international military partners.” In short, training the guys (and gals) who would go on to fly E-2 Hawkeyes, C-130s, and P-3 Orions.
A T-44C Pegasus (above) stands on the flight line aboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi before a scheduled flight. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Pawel Puczko/Released)
In all, some 61 T-44s were purchased in the late 1970s and later updated in the early 2000s to the T-44C standard, currently operated by Training Air Wing (TAW) 4 out of NAS Corpus Christi.
However, the surviving T-44s are all pushing some 40 years on their frames and have thousands of hours on them, meaning a replacement was needed for these unsung school birds.
That led NAVAIR to contract Textron and Beech to develop the new T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft last January, with 64 new aircraft to take over the role of the T-44 in training the next several generations of V-22 Osprey, E-2D Hawkeye, C-130 Hercules, and P-8 Poseidon drivers.
The T-54A is a twin PT6A-52 turboprop-powered Beech King Air 260 that is essentially off the shelf with a few tweaks requested by the Navy.
Artistic rendering of T-54A aircraft. Image courtesy of Textron Aviation.
The first two T-54As arrived at NAS Corpus Christi yesterday— and, while in Beech’s standard blue and white livery now, they will soon have a great scheme.
The arrival of the first multi-engine training system (METS) replacement in over 45 years is not just historic for TAW-4, but for the entire naval air training enterprise. This aircraft is the first of the Chief of Naval Air Training’s (CNATRA) entire fleet of over 650 aircraft to include a glossy grey paint scheme. This paint scheme, which was announced alongside a “Midway” blue paint coat for CNATRA’s T-6B Texan II aircraft, is an effort to reconnect students and instructors with the fleet. The glossy grey color of the T-54A reflects similar paint coats of the P-8A Poseidon and E-2D Hawkeye.
A T-54A multi-engine aircraft sits on the flight line of Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, April 18. The arrival of the T-54A heralds a new generation of Naval Aviators who will use the trainer to earn their wings of gold as they prepare to fly such aircraft as the P-8A Poseidon, E-2D Hawkeye and C-130 Hercules. The T-54A replaces the T-44C Pegasus, an aircraft that has been in naval service since 1977. Photo by Ensign Alan Wang