History:

The Cessna T-37 " Tweet ", designed as trainer airplane for the US air force in 1952, was used during the Vietnam war (modified as T-37A) and later by some other air forces as support to counter insurgency operations (COIN).

The Guatemalan Air Force (FAG) was the third in the world in receiving it as T-37B and to use it in combat operations during the internal armed conflict, and it is still part of the arsenal of the FAG, used in operations of national patrolling and anti-drug program interceptions.

Some scratch work carried out in the interior: actuators of the ejectable seat built with phone wire, canopy insurers built with plastic leaf and seatbelts built with masking tape.

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The Kit:

The kit is the Academy T-37B Dragonfly No. 1663 that have excellent characteristics, although some details were necessary modify and add so that it represented the aircraft used by the FAG.

The pattern represents the  Alpha (nickname given to those T-37B for the FAG) No. 444, code No. 73-1657 in service in the year of 1974, part of the block 73 that it was acquired in support to the block 69.

As characteristic of the FAG aircraft, our Alphas are the only ones T-37B that don't use the refuelling lance.

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Construction:

The modifications realized during the construction were the following ones:

• Re-positioning of the instrument panel and nozzle deflectors.

• Scratch work in armoured panels, seat belts, gun sight, power throttle and antennas (this manufactured with plastic hair).

• Speed brake opening, machine gun opening and bombarding camera in the ventral section.

• Mobil flight plans.

• The fuel relief valves was also added in the tip tanks, fuselage deposit and under wing tanks.

Interior view. Some details: Opening of the speed brake, opening of the bombarding camera, built antennas with plastic leaf and placement of the fuel relief valves built with the lining of phone wire.

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Attached armament: -250 lb. WW2 bombs, -Belgium 70mm. LAU7 LAUNCHERS, -.30 TMPs  -100 gal. fuel tank.

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