Tinker Celebrates 75 Years: Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star aircraft profile

Courtesy Photo | A T-33A Shooting Star shown in-flight in standard training configuration with wingtip tanks wearing natural-metal and early training command markings. The ‘TR-272’ indicates this is a training aircraft and uses the last three numbers of the serial-272- to indicated which aircraft it is. These large markings were quite useful in allowing quick identification of particular aircraft on a parking ramp filled with dozens of the same exact aircraft type with small serial numbers applied to the tail. (Courtesy photo/Tinker History Office)  

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, UNITED STATES

11.27.2017

Story by Greg L. Davis 

72nd Air Base Wing

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is a jet trainer with origins in Lockheed’s P-80 pursuit jet developed by the United States toward the end of World War II. The general characteristics of both jets are tricycle landing gear, a long straight wing with wingtip fuel tanks and rounded vertical tail with horizontal stabilizers mounted where the fuselage and tail meet. Twin air intakes feed the J33 turbojet with a single exhaust exiting beneath the tail. Large effective airbrakes are mounted on the fuselage underside. The T-33 differs from the P-80 by having a lengthened fuselage to accommodate a second, tandem cockpit and removal of forward firing guns in the nose.
Tinker’s association with the T-33 centers around a two-and-a-half year period where the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area processed 12 T-33 Shooting Stars, according to information from the Tinker History Office and newspaper accounts. While only 12 T-33s may have been processed, thousands of J33 engines were maintained and overhauled here for Air Force, Navy and foreign military sales customers.
Sadly, the only other notable association Tinker has with the T-33 took place on Jan. 18, 1963 when a T-33 jet trainer crashed south of the base near Elm Creek Reservoir (Draper Lake) killing both crew members.
The T-33 was an important aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and allies in the production of pilots in the early days of the Jet-Age. Although fully aerobatic, the T-33 is relatively stable and has forgiving flight characteristics. Its adaptability to various roles including proficiency trainer, navigation and electronic warfare and even ground attack gave the jet a solid reputation.
There were many versions of the T-33 Shooting Star and multiple production lines. The bulk of the production came from Lockheed’s production line which produced 5,691 aircraft for acceptance by the Air Force. Tinker history documents show 3,934 were delivered for Air Force use, 699 were immediately transferred to the Navy with the designations TV-2 and later T2V-1, and 1,058 were transferred to allied nations under the (foreign) military assistance program. Licensed production also took place with 210 T-33s made by Kawasaki in Japan for the Japanese Self Defense Force and 656 by Canadair. Variants of the aircraft include ground-attack, AT-33A, reconnaissance, RT-33A, drone director, DT-33A, and radio-controlled drone, QT-33A, among others.
The T-33 remains in use today in a variety of roles almost 70 years after its first flight. Boeing uses the T-33 as a photo/safety chase platform for various programs including the KC-46 Pegasus tanker program. The jet is also one of the most popular classic jets on the air show circuit with a number being painted in fictional ‘Thunderbirds’ markings.

Manufacturer: Lockheed
Aircraft type: T-33
Nickname: Shooting Star
Crew: 2
Power plant: One General Electric J33 turbojet engines producing 5,400 pounds of thrust.
In-service dates: 1948-1992
Number produced: 6,557
Tinker connection: Maintenance, repair and overhaul

• Date Taken: 11.27.2017
• Date Posted: 11.27.2017 16:57
• Story ID: 256550
• Location: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, US