Boeing T-X Candidate Makes First Flight in St. Louis

By Mark Nankivil

The Boeing T-X candidate for the next generation supersonic trainer made its maiden flight today at the company's facility in St. Louis today.  The aircraft flew for about an hour with pilots Steve Schmidt and Dan Draeger at the controls.  The initial test flight included systems checks and flight at speeds over 200kts.  The jet is the product of a collaborative effort between Boeing and Saab, and a second jet is due for flight testing early in 2017.  Here are some views of the taxi and takeoff with the T-38 chase plane.