The T-33 Shooting Star

The T-33 Shooting Star. . Jet aircraft began replacing propeller-powered planes in the late 1940s. Differences in handling resulted in a high accident rate among pilots unused to the new aircraft. Lockheed developed this plane, the T-33 Shooting Star, to help pilots make the transition to jet aircraft., The Lockheed T-Bird , Called the T-Bird, the T-33 Shooting Star is a slightly longer version of America's first jet fighter plane, the F-80. The T-33 made its first flight in March 1948. Powered by Allison J33-A-23 turbojet engines, the original T-Birds reached a speed of 600 miles per hour., 60+ and Still Flying , Lockheed manufactured this popular airplane until August 1959. Over 5,690 T-Birds rolled off their assembly lines. The aircraft's clean lines and solid performance made it a favorite of pilots around the world. Many remain in service today, more than sixty years after their first flight. , Shooting Star No. 51-8965 , This airplane, No. 51-8965, entered service in March 1953 as part of the 3520th Pilot Training Wing at Wichita Air Force Base, Kansas. The following year, the plane served the 3555th Combat Crew Training Wing at Perrin Air Force Base, Texas. In the fall of 1955, the Air Force moved this T-Bird to the 3615th Flying Training Wing at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama. Early that November, pilot William Pettit Boyd had a landing accident. Soon afterward, the plane was transferred to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma., The T-Bird Comes to Helena , No. 51-8965 remained in Oklahoma until early 1964, when the Air Force assigned it museum status. Richard L. Kitchens Post No. 41 acquired the plane on loan from the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1960s.