The team flew only six air shows in 1973 and was grounded for some time. Due to the 1973 oil crisis, they switched to the more economical T-38 Talon for the 1974 season, as five T-38s used the same amount of fuel as one F-4 Phantom. The switch saw an alteration of the flight routine to exhibit the aircraft's maneuverability in tight turns, and ended the era of the black tail on the No. 4 slot plane, now regularly cleaned and shined like the others.