Skip to content
AAHG
Donate
PRJ-01 · 1948 — present

T-33 Shooting Star

Our T-33, in The Copperheads livery of the 197th Fighter Interceptor Squadron — a tribute to the Arizona Air National Guard, past, present, and future.

AZ ANG · 197th FIS · The Copperheads
The brief

History comes alive when you can touch it. The Arizona Air National Guard was established in 1946 at Luke Field by Barry Goldwater Sr. — flying the P-51 Mustang — and entered the jet age in late 1953 with delivery of their first T-33. The 197th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flew it for instrument training, jet introduction, VIP transport, and target towing into the mid-1960s.

Era
1948 — present
Variant
Canadian T-33 Mk. III
Engine
Rolls Royce Nene-10
Livery
The Copperheads · 197th FIS

Our T-33

Privately owned and operated by Dillon Aero. A Canadian-built T-33 Mk. III with the more powerful Rolls Royce Nene-10 engine, served with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 2005, then a retired Canadian airlines pilot, then a French owner in Reno. We brought it to Arizona in 2021.

The paint

Late 2021, flown to Kingman where Straube's Aircraft Paint replicated the original scheme of The Copperheads of the 197th FIS. Ronnie Olsthoorn provided the painstaking and exact stenciling — in our estimation, the most authentic T-33 paint scheme in the US.

On the family it honors

Deepest thanks to Jeff Welker, whose late father Dale was the photographer for the Arizona Air National Guard. His father's photos played a key role in replicating the paint scheme.

Where to see it

Air shows and fly-ins around the southwestern United States. The airplane is an absolute pleasure to fly — and it's easy to be taken back to the early days of jet aviation.

AAHG T-33 (ARIZ ANG 35397) on a low pass with gear extended, showing The Copperheads nose art and Brig Gen Barry M. Goldwater canopy lettering.
The airframe, in detail

ARIZ ANG 35397 — gear down, The Copperheads on the nose, Goldwater on the rail.

Photo file

The Copperheads, in flight.

Air-to-air and ramp shots of the AAHG T-33, painted in the original 197th FIS scheme.

  • Close-up nose art of the T-33 showing the Copperhead snake painted on the polished aluminum fuselage.
    The nose art — by Ronnie Olsthoorn, on Straube's paint.
  • Head-on view of the T-33 in flight, golden hour, intakes catching the sun.
    Head-on at golden hour.
  • Banking low over the Sonoran desert mountains in late afternoon light.
    Low over the Sonoran.
  • Profile view of the T-33 in flight against blue sky with mountains below — full ARIZ ANG livery visible.
    Full profile · ARIZ ANG 35397.
  • Side pass of the T-33 against a soft overcast sky.
    An overcast pass.
  • Black and white aerial photograph of the T-33 over Arizona farm fields, full Air National Guard markings visible.
    Black and white, over the fields.
  • Banking turn over rolling desert terrain.
    Banking turn over the desert.
  • T-33 on the ramp at the boneyard with the canopy open, pilot in the front seat.
    Canopy up · on the ramp.
Resources

Films, partner sites, and credits referenced on this page.

Support this program

Help keep this work going.

Time, sponsorship, or a story we don't have yet — we take it all.

VolunteerAll Projects