The T-33 Shooting Star
History comes alive when you can touch it. In our quest to provide the best experience about our states history, we pursued a unique opportunity to showcase the dedicate, commitment and sacrifice of our local military men and women. The Arizona Air National Guard (AZ ANG) was established in 1946 at Luke Field (now Luke AFB) by Barry Goldwater Sr. In the early days, the unit flew the iconic P-51 Mustang and in late 1953, entered the jet age with the delivery of their first T-33. A few months later, the first F-86 would arrive. The 197th Fighter Interceptor Squadron would use the T-33 for instrument flying training, introduction to jets, VIP transport, and target towing for aerial gunnery. The AZ ANG operated the T-33 into the mid-1960's.
Our T-33
Our T-33 is privately owned but operated by our group. It is actually a Canadian built T-33 Mk. III as are most T-33's currently still airworthy. The primary difference between the -A model built by Lockheed is that the Canadian variant has a more powerful engine in the Rolls Royce Nene-10. The airplane served with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 2005 when it was acquired by a retired Canadian airlines pilot. In 2021, the airplane was purchased from a French owner in Reno and brought to Arizona. In late 2021, the airplane was flown to Kingman Arizona where Straube's Aircraft Paint beautifully and accurately replicated the original scheme of The Copperheads of the 197th FIS. It was an historic undertaking and was accomplished in no small part by the dedicated group at Straubes and Ronnie Olsthoorn, who provided the painstaking and exact stenciling needed for creating, in our estimation, the most authentic paint scheme of any T-33 in the US.
Developed from the P-80, our first operational jet fighter, the T-33 was born out of the need to usher our piston pilots into the jet age. The T-33 first flew in March of 1948 and was quickly sent to its first base at Williams AFB, right here in Arizona.
The airplane is an absolute pleasure to fly and its easy to be taken back to the early days of jet aviation. Our goal with this airplane is to celebrate the members of the Arizona Air National Guard: Past, Present, and Future. They have served the great state of Arizona for over 75 years and this is our way of saying thanks to The Copperheads!
You can see the airplane at air shows and fly-ins around the southwestern United States.
