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| CF-33 Silver Star "Red Knight" |
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Length: 13 3/4"
Wingspan: 14 3/4"
Scale: 1/29
Includes desk stand.
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. 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 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the U.S. Navy initially as TO-2 then TV-2, and after 1962, T-33B. Despite its vintage, the venerable T-33 still remains in service worldwide.
The T-33 (aka "T-Bird") 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. It was initially designated as a variant of the P-80/F-80, the TP-80C/TF-80C.
Design work for the Lockheed P-80 began in 1943 with the first flight on 8 January 1944. Following on the Bell P-59, the P-80 became the first jet fighter to enter full squadron service in the United States Army Air Forces. As more advanced jets entered service, the F-80 took on another role - training jet pilots. The two-place T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft.
Originally designated the TF-80C, the T-33 made its first flight on 22 March 1948 with US production taking place from 1948 to 1959. The US Navy used the T-33 as a land-based trainer starting in 1949. It was designated the TV-2, but was redesignated the T-33B in 1962. The Navy operated some ex-USAF P-80Cs as the TO-1, changed to the TV-1 about a year later. A carrier-capable version of the P-80/T-33 family was subsequently developed by Lockheed, eventually leading to the late 1950s to 1970s T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar. A total of 6,557 Shooting Stars were produced, 5,691 by Lockheed.
The Red Knight was a Canadian aerobatic show that operated from 1958 to 1969. Consisting of a single red Canadair CT-33 Silver Star, the Red Knight performed loops, rolls, Cuban 8s, horizontal 360s, inverted flight, and high speed passes at airshows around North America, often appearing as an opening act for or in conjunction with the Golden Hawks and later the Golden Centennaires, Canada's contemporary aerobatic teams.
During its career with the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Red Knight was flown by seventeen different pilots from six different bases. For a short time, there were even two Red Knight aircraft that performed together. However, this practice was cut short after an accident at the August 21, 1963 Gimli Air Force Day airshow. During a Cuban 8, alternate pilot Wayne MacLellan recognized that he was too low to the ground and aborted the manoeuvre. Lead pilot J.W. "Bud" Morin failed to recognize this and was killed when his plane contacted the ground. An air force investigation allowed the team to continue, but forbade any further coordinated acts.
The Red Knight had five trouble-free years of flying after Morin's accident, but that was cut short when pilot John Reid crashed during a photo shoot on May 21, 1968. After conducting a low-altitude loop, Reid could not pull the aircraft up fast enough and crashed into the ground. Though he was thrown clear of the wreckage, Reid died in hospital. This tragedy was closely followed by another. On July 13, 1969, the Red Knight suffered a power failure and crashed during the forced landing, killing pilot Bryan Alston. These two crashes in short succession led the air force to seriously reconsider the program. Though they were willing to continue it, there were no high-time pilots with aerobatic experience who were willing to volunteer. Thus, the Red Knight program was officially canceled.
After its disappearance as a formal demonstration aircraft, the Red Knight was resurrected as a private show. Between 1990 and 1993, Rick Brickert flew a restored T-33 in airshows around the United States and as the pace plane for the Reno Air Races. His plane sat unused after Rick's 1993 death until it was acquired by Red Knight Air Shows, LLC in 2003. This company currently operates the T-33 and coordinates appearances at airshows around the continent.
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