Lockheed T-33A 'Shooting Star'
HISTORY
- The most widely used jet trainer in the world is the Lockheed T-33 Shooting 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 be- came 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-1 s.
- 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.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Status: Static Display |
| Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation |
| Year: 1953 |
| Model: T-33A Shooting Star |
Registration Number:
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| Serial Number: |
| Crew: 2 |
| Max T/O Weight: 15,061 lb. |
| Span: 38 ft. 10.5 in. |
| Length: 37 ft. 9 in. |
| Height: 11 ft. 8 in. |
| Maximum Speed: 600 mph |
| Cruise Speed: 455 mph |
| Rate of Climb: 4,870 ft/min |
| Power Plant: 1 x Allison J33-A-35 turbojet engine, 5,400 lb. thrust |
| Range: 1,275 mi |
| Service Ceiling: 48,000 ft. |
| Armament: None |
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