Lockheed T-33A "Shooting Star" - Display

Serving "on display" at KI Sawyer is tail number 51-4263

The T-33 was derived from the P-80 Shooting Star, our first jet powered combat aircraft. The two-seated TF-80C first flew on March 22, 1948. It was redesignated the T-33 and manufactured until 1959 with 5,691 T-33's being produced.

The T-33 flew out of K.I. Sawyer AFB from 1959 until the 87th FIS left the base in 1985, a total of 26 years.

About the T-33 Shooting Star

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is a subsonic American jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. 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. The last operator of the T-33, the Bolivian Air Force, retired the type in July 2017, after 44 years of service.