Lockheed T-33A (54439)
NAHR category - Noteworthy
Aircraft History
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 by lengthening the fuselage by slightly over three feet and adding a second seat, instrumentation and flight controls. The two-seat T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft. It has proved to be a suitable advanced trainer and, in addition to its primary use as a trainer, it has also been used for such tasks as drone director and target towing. Some T-33s retained two machine guns for gunnery training. In some countries, the T-33 was even employed as a combat aircraft. The RT-33A version, reconnaissance aircraft produced primarily for use by foreign countries, had a camera installed in the nose and additional equipment in the rear cockpit. T-33s continued to fly as currency trainers, drone towing, combat and tactical simulation training, "hack" aircraft, electronic countermeasures and warfare training and test platforms right into the 1980s.
The T-33 has served with over 30 nations, and continues to operate as a trainer in smaller air forces. Canadair built 656 T-33s on licence for service in the Canadian Forces as the CT-133 Silver Star while Kawasaki manufactured 210 in Japan. Other operators included Brazil, Turkey and Thailand which used the T-33 extensively.
54439 History
T-33A 55-4439 was delivered to France in 1956 with the Section de Laison et Vol Sans Visibilite, (Communications and Instrument Rating Flight) of 13 Escarde de Chasse (EC) at Lahr in Germany. EC.13 was at that time receiving F-86K Sabres, but returned to France to Colmar in April 1957. At an unknown date (probably 1962), '4439 was transferred to the SLVSV of EC.7 at Metz, where it was coded '7-DE'.
During the late Sixties it was with the SLVSV of EC.2 coded '2-HE', based at Dijon and from there on to the instrument rating school, 338 Centre d'Entrainment en Vols Sans Visibilitie at Nancy coded '338-HB'.
By late 1972 it had moved to the Strategic Bomber OCU, 328 Centre d'Instruction des Forces Ariennes Strategiques, flying with that units third squadron, Escadron de Transformation ed d'Instruction 3/328 with the code 'WI'. During this time, it was used for training at the 328 CIFAS base at Bordeaux, but also detached from time to time to various Mirage bomber squadrons for use as a 'Hack'. '4439 was eventually retired from active service and flown to Sculthorpe, England on 25th January 1978 for disposal. On 5th June 1979 it was dismantled and transported to Sunderland for NEAM.
54439 restored and on display at NEAM Jan-08.
