New trainer takes to the air

MILTON, Fla. - Military flight students at Naval Air Station Whiting Field took to the sky for the first time at the controls of a new training aircraft Tuesday. Over the next three years the T-6B Texan II will replace the T-34 Turbo Mentor that's served Whiting Field for the last 30 years. The T-6B Texan is a single-engine, two-seat trainer that's faster, more powerful and includes an updated avionics package that uses flight instruments on a digital display rather than gauges. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 05/19/10)