T-33 Shooting Star (Coming Soon!)

The T-33 was a jet trainer that helped usher in the age of jet aviation. Developed by Lockheed in the late 1940s, the T-33 Shooting Star was based on the single-seat P-80 (later F-80), America’s first operational jet fighter. Designed by legendary aircraft engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the T-33 added a second seat to create a tandem two-seat trainer for teaching new pilots how to fly jets—a revolutionary need as the U.S. Air Force transitioned from propeller-driven aircraft to jets after World War II. First flown in 1948, the T-33 quickly became the U.S. Air Force’s standard jet trainer and remained in widespread service for decades. More than 6,500 T-33s were produced by Lockheed and under license in Canada and Japan. The aircraft wasn’t just an American workhorse—over 30 foreign air forces used the T-33 for training, target towing, reconnaissance, and even combat. Some countries, such as Bolivia and Thailand, kept T-33s flying well into the 21st century. Known for its ruggedness, forgiving flight characteristics, and adaptability, the T-33 played a key role in preparing generations of pilots for the jet age. It’s often remembered as the aircraft that “trained the Cold War.”

The Museum’s T-33A Shooting Star was delivered to the United States Air Force in March 1952. It was subsequently transferred to the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (1 of 224 T-33A’s) delivered to the French), where it served as a jet trainer. After its time in France, the aircraft was returned to the United States and processed at Royal Air Force training site, Sculthorpe, in England for disarmament. In 1979, it was transferred to the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England, and displayed in the American Air Museum from 1992 to 2016. It was later returned to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, where it was subsequently loaned to the Tillamook Air Museum in July 2025.