Canadair CT-33 'Silver Star' | Planes of Fame Air Museum

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Canadair CT-33 'Silver Star'

HISTORY

The most widely used jet trainer in the world is the Lockheed T-33 Silver Star. Essentially a two-seat version of the USAF F-80, America's first operation jet fighter, the T-33 continues in use today.
After introduction of the P-80 Shooting Star, Lockheed undertook a private venture to develop the T-33 trainer. By extending the fuselage and canopy by three feet, an extra pilot could be accommodated. The result was a world-class jet trainer of which 5,781 would be built over its first decade of production. A generation of flying cadets became pilots in the front seat of the T-33.
The U. S. Navy also needed a Jet trainer but the low speed handling of the T-33 was judged unsuitable for carrier landings. Lockheed again went to work, creating the T2V-1 Sea Star which included leading and trailing edge flaps to solve the low speed requirements. By 1958 the Navy had received the first of 700 T2V-1s.
The operational life of America's T-33 finally came to its end in 1987 when the last T-33 was retired from the Air National Guard. However, it lives on in several Latin American countries which still operate the aircraft more than a half century since it was initially deployed.