Canadair T-33AN Silver Star

FLYING INSTRUCTORS SCHOOL

Designed as an advanced trainer for pilots already qualified to fly propeller aircraft, the T-33 Shooting Star first flew on March 22, 1948. To develop the T-33, designers lengthened the Lockheed P-80/F-80's fuselage by about three feet so they could add a second seat, instrumentation and flight controls. The T-33 proved to be a reliable trainer and was also used for target towing and as a drone director. It served with the US Navy and the US Air Force well into the 1970s and 1980s, and some nations even used it for combat (the Cuban Air Force scored several kills in T-33s during the Bay of Pigs Invasion).