Canadair CT-133 Silver Star
| CT-133 Silver Star | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| CT-133 Silver Star Mk.3 | |
| Role | Military trainer aircraft |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Canadair / Lockheed |
| First flight | December 1952 |
| Retired | 2005 (Canadian Forces)[1] Still in service with Bolivian Air Force[citation needed] |
| Primary users | Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Forces |
| Number built | 656 |
| Developed from | Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star |
The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (company model number CL-30) was the Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer aircraft, in service from the 1950s to 2005. The Canadian version was powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet, whereas the Lockheed production used the Allison J33.
Contents
Design and development
The Canadair CT-133 was the result of a 1951 contract to build T-33 Shooting Star Trainers for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The powerplant is a Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet instead of the Allison J33 used by Lockheed in the production of the original T-33. A project designation of CL-30 was given by Canadair and the name was changed to Silver Star. The appearance of the CT-133 is very distinctive due to the large fuel tanks usually carried on each wingtip.
A total of 656 CT-133 aircraft were built by Canadair.[2]
Operational history
The CT-133 entered service in the RCAF as its primary training aircraft for fighter/interceptors. The RCAF named it the "Silver Star" in honour of Canada's (and the British Empire's) first flight of a heavier-than-air craft, the AEA Silver Dart.[citation needed] The designation of the Silver Star in the Canadian Forces was CT-133.
The CT-133 was reliable and had forgiving flight properties.[citation needed] Its service life in the RCAF (and later the Canadian Forces) was extremely long. One of the more unusual roles it played was as an aerobatic demonstration aircraft, the RCAF's Red Knight. Although the aircraft stopped being used as a trainer in 1976, there were still over 50 aircraft in Canadian Forces inventory in 1995. The youngest of these airframes was then 37 years old and had exceeded its expected life by a factor of 2.5. During this period, the Canadair T-33 was employed in communication, target towing and enemy simulation.
The final Canadair Silver Star Mk. 3 was retired from the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada where it was used as an ejection seat testbed after 46 years of service.[3] CT-133 number 133648 was delivered to CFD Mountain View on 26 April 2005. Having been built in March 1959 as a CT-133 with original RCAF serial number 21648, it had reached a total of 11394.6 flight hours at the time of its retirement from military use. It has been sold on the civil market, along with fifteen other CT-133s. These aircraft will join the fifty others on the United States Civil Register and continue to fly as a part of the living legacy of the early jet age.
Variants
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- T-33A Silver Star Mk 1: Two-seat jet training aircraft for the RCAF. Built by Lockheed in the United States, 30 on loan to the RCAF.
- CT-133ANX Silver Star Mk 2: The first Canadian prototype. One built.
- Silver Star Mk 3: Two-seat jet training aircraft for the RCAF.
- Silver Star Mk 3PT: Unarmed version.
- Silver Star Mk 3AT: Armed version.
- Silver Star Mk 3PR: Photo-reconnaissance version.
- CE-133: Upgraded electronic warfare training aircraft.
- CX-133: Ejection seat testbed.
- ET-133: Aerial threat simulator aircraft.
- TE-133: Anti-ship threat simulator aircraft.
Operators
- Bolivia
- Bolivian Air Force – 20 AT-33A-Ns (former Canadian Forces)[4]
- Canada
- France
- French Air Force delivered between 1959 and 1962[7]
- Greece
- Hellenic Air Force (former RCAF aircraft)[8]
- Portugal
- Turkey
Aircraft on display
The following locations have CT-133 Silver Stars on display or in flyable condition:
- Alberta
- Alberta Aviation Museum[11]
- Civic Park, Edson, Alberta[citation needed]
- British Columbia
- Nova Scotia
- Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum[14]
- Greenwood Military Aviation Museum Greenwood, Nova Scotia[15]
- Civic Park, Pictou, Nova Scotia[citation needed]
- Shearwater Aviation Museum[16]
- Ontario
- Canadian Air and Space Museum[17]
- Canada Aviation Museum[18]
- Canadian Historical Aircraft Association[19]
- Jet Aircraft Museum – will eventually have six operational examples[20]
- London International Airport[21]
- National Air Force Museum of Canada[22]
- United Kingdom
- RAF Manston History Museum, at RAF Manston, Kent, England[23]
- Yorkshire Air Museum, at RAF Elvington, England[24]
Specifications (CT-133)
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: one–two
- Length: 11.48 m (37 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 12.93 m (42 ft 5 in)
- Height: 3.55 m (11 ft 8 in)
- Empty weight: 3830 kg (8440 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 7630 kg (16800 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet, 22 kN (5000 lb)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 920 km/h (500 kn, 570 mi/h)
- Service ceiling: 14000 m (47000 ft)
See also
- Related development
- Related lists
References
- Notes
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- ↑ Lockheed P-80/F-80
- ↑ see also "Canada's Fab Four", Air Forces Monthly
- ↑ Andrade 1982, p. 27
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- ↑ Andrade 1982, p. 92
- ↑ Andrade 1982, p. 185
- ↑ Andrade 1982, p. 228
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- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Aircraft 21417 Photo
- Bibliography
- "Canada's Fab Four". Air Forces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing Limited, August 2003. ISSN 0955-7091.
- Flight Comment: The Canadian Forces Flight Safety Magazine. Ottawa: Publishing and Depository Services, Summer 2005. ISSN 0015-3702, .
- Andrade, John: Militair 1982. London: 1982. ISBN 0-907898-01-7
- Francillon, René. Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913. London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.
- Pickler, Ron and Larry Milberry. Canadair: The First 50 Years. Toronto: Canav Books, 1995. ISBN 0-921022-07-7.
- "Silver Star Stand Down". Air Classics April 2006, Canoga Park, California: Challenge Publications. ISSN 0002-2241.
External links
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- Use dmy dates from April 2014
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2009
- Articles with unsourced statements from April 2009
- Articles with unsourced statements from June 2013
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010
- Canadair aircraft
- Canadian military trainer aircraft 1950–1959
- Single-engined jet aircraft
