Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star)
The T-33 was designed to be simple, robust, and easy to fly for trainee pilots, though it was intended at first to be only used for propeller-qualified pilots to transition into jets. As propeller aircraft were mostly phased out of the independent US Air Force’s inventory, the service made the decision to go to an “all-jet” training syllabus, and as a result pilots began flying T-33s in flight school.
The “T-Bird,” as it became known, could still be unforgiving in certain circumstances, and was less forgiving as the T-37 Tweet or the T-38 Talon that would eventually replace it. It also was an aircraft for practical jokers: the in-and-outs of the T-33 was something only experienced pilots knew well, and trainees could be subjected to all kinds of tricks by the instructor pilot. The T-33 was, however, eminently reliable. Even after it was withdrawn from training units in the mid-1950s, it soldiered on as a “hack” aircraft for units, a familiarization aircraft, advanced trainer, and aggressor aircraft, especially in Air Defense Command and Air National Guard units.
Well into the 1980s, T-33s could be found in frontline USAF units, and it was said that, when the last F-16 was retired, the pilot would hitch a ride home in a T-Bird. While this did not prove true, it was not off by much—the last USAF T-33s did not leave the inventory until around 1988. The US Navy also used T-33s, including both standard Shooting Stars and the heavily modified TV-1 Seastar, which had a larger engine, reworked tail, and strengthened fuselage for carrier operations. While the Seastar was replaced in the 1960s by the T-2 Buckeye, standard T-33s remained as test and chase aircraft for the Navy’s test squadrons into the 1990s.
Because of its robustness and cheap flyaway price, the T-33 was also popular with foreign air forces: no less than 41 nations operated T-33s at one time or another, and it was license-built in Japan by Kawasaki and in Canada as the CT-133 Silver Star, which differed from US-built aircraft only in using a Rolls-Royce Nene engine. While it was usually used in the trainer role, many were modified for a variety of roles, including armed AT-33s and reconnaissance RT-33s (some of which were also used by the USAF). AT-33s, which were basically two-seat F-80s, were used in several conflicts worldwide, mainly in South America; many of these nations did not retire their Shooting Stars until the late 1990s—Canada did not retire its last CT-133s until 2008, and Boeing Aircraft has two T-33As on charge as chase aircraft. 6557 T-33s were built overall, and today over 80 and possibly as many as a hundred survive, with many still flyable.
This aircraft was built as a CT-133 Silver Star, RCAF 21377 (later CAF 133177), and delivered to 1 Flying Training School at CFB Cold Lake in 1954. It would remain at Cold Lake for its entire career, later being transferred to 417 Squadron as a "hack" aircraft. It was retired in 2003 and put up for sale; by 2007, Planes of Fame had bought the aircraft and repainted it roughly as a USAF T-33A assigned to Alaska, with bright red arctic recognition panels, though it was not supposed to represent any particular unit. Instead, 133177 was used as the pace aircraft for the Reno Air Races, where the red tail and wings would be easy to see. It has carried various markings on the fuselage, though currently it carries its sponsor, Sun Air Parts, in script.
Unfortunately, that impressive color scheme can barely be seen here: when we visited in May 2021, California's coronavirus restrictions were still in effect, and to maintain social distancing, Planes of Fame was forced to crowd its aircraft together. There was no other angle to get a remotely decent shot of 133177. As bad as this was, it could've been worse: only a few weeks previous, the museum couldn't even let visitors into their hangars.
Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star)
The T-33 was designed to be simple, robust, and easy to fly for trainee pilots, though it was intended at first to be only used for propeller-qualified pilots to transition into jets. As propeller aircraft were mostly phased out of the independent US Air Force’s inventory, the service made the decision to go to an “all-jet” training syllabus, and as a result pilots began flying T-33s in flight school.
The “T-Bird,” as it became known, could still be unforgiving in certain circumstances, and was less forgiving as the T-37 Tweet or the T-38 Talon that would eventually replace it. It also was an aircraft for practical jokers: the in-and-outs of the T-33 was something only experienced pilots knew well, and trainees could be subjected to all kinds of tricks by the instructor pilot. The T-33 was, however, eminently reliable. Even after it was withdrawn from training units in the mid-1950s, it soldiered on as a “hack” aircraft for units, a familiarization aircraft, advanced trainer, and aggressor aircraft, especially in Air Defense Command and Air National Guard units.
Well into the 1980s, T-33s could be found in frontline USAF units, and it was said that, when the last F-16 was retired, the pilot would hitch a ride home in a T-Bird. While this did not prove true, it was not off by much—the last USAF T-33s did not leave the inventory until around 1988. The US Navy also used T-33s, including both standard Shooting Stars and the heavily modified TV-1 Seastar, which had a larger engine, reworked tail, and strengthened fuselage for carrier operations. While the Seastar was replaced in the 1960s by the T-2 Buckeye, standard T-33s remained as test and chase aircraft for the Navy’s test squadrons into the 1990s.
Because of its robustness and cheap flyaway price, the T-33 was also popular with foreign air forces: no less than 41 nations operated T-33s at one time or another, and it was license-built in Japan by Kawasaki and in Canada as the CT-133 Silver Star, which differed from US-built aircraft only in using a Rolls-Royce Nene engine. While it was usually used in the trainer role, many were modified for a variety of roles, including armed AT-33s and reconnaissance RT-33s (some of which were also used by the USAF). AT-33s, which were basically two-seat F-80s, were used in several conflicts worldwide, mainly in South America; many of these nations did not retire their Shooting Stars until the late 1990s—Canada did not retire its last CT-133s until 2008, and Boeing Aircraft has two T-33As on charge as chase aircraft. 6557 T-33s were built overall, and today over 80 and possibly as many as a hundred survive, with many still flyable.
This aircraft was built as a CT-133 Silver Star, RCAF 21377 (later CAF 133177), and delivered to 1 Flying Training School at CFB Cold Lake in 1954. It would remain at Cold Lake for its entire career, later being transferred to 417 Squadron as a "hack" aircraft. It was retired in 2003 and put up for sale; by 2007, Planes of Fame had bought the aircraft and repainted it roughly as a USAF T-33A assigned to Alaska, with bright red arctic recognition panels, though it was not supposed to represent any particular unit. Instead, 133177 was used as the pace aircraft for the Reno Air Races, where the red tail and wings would be easy to see. It has carried various markings on the fuselage, though currently it carries its sponsor, Sun Air Parts, in script.
Unfortunately, that impressive color scheme can barely be seen here: when we visited in May 2021, California's coronavirus restrictions were still in effect, and to maintain social distancing, Planes of Fame was forced to crowd its aircraft together. There was no other angle to get a remotely decent shot of 133177. As bad as this was, it could've been worse: only a few weeks previous, the museum couldn't even let visitors into their hangars.