Northrop F-5, 50 años formando a pilotos de combate en la base aérea de Talavera la Real
Video from the channel Ejército del Aire Ministerio de Defensa España about Northrop F-5, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 9:12. Language: Spanish. Video type: News.
What it's about
A piece from the Spanish Air Force commemorating 50 years of the Northrop F-5 with Wing 23 at the Talavera la Real air base (Badajoz), a fighter and attack pilot school, featuring testimonies from pilots, instructors, students and maintenance personnel.
Context
The first aircraft arrived at the base in November 1970. They were of US design, but Construcciones Aeronáuticas assembled them at its Madrid factory. Earlier, a group of pioneers trained in the United States and became the first instructors qualified to teach in Spanish; the first students arrived in September. Veterans describe the F-5 as a technological leap for its time, both in flight and in maintenance, due to its performance and especially its speed.
What it means
Over those 50 years, more than 1,000 students have trained on the aircraft. They arrive in their fifth year at the academy and fly a full course before moving on to combat units. The modernized F-5 remains in service, and the school complements it with a simulator and virtual reality to lower the cost of training. Those in charge attribute the aircraft's longevity to the care of the maintenance staff.