North American T39A Sabreliner

In mid-1950s, the USAF launched a Utility Trainer Experimental (UTX) programme for a small, multi-engine jet that would function primarily as a crew trainer. The North American offered its in house project, model NA-265 to the USAF. Its leading edge slats, swept-back wing and tail gave it a strong resemblance to the F-86 Sabre Jet and the F-100 Super Sabre. The design received the name Sabreliner. The civil NA-265 prototype made its first flight in 1958, and Air Material Command placed military order in 1959 under the designation T-39A. By Dec. 11, 1980, 600 Sabreliners, including 212 military T-39s, had been delivered. North American, then renamed Rockwell International, sold the Sabreliner Division to private investors in 1983..