iniBuilds T-33 Jet Trainer Released

[jocko417]

On a side note, while I was researching ejection seat labels I came across this interesting photo:



No caption given, but based on the seat being hoisted up the rails and the eye line of the gent in back, probably has something to do with "sizing" pilots for the T-33 ejection system. My own father was 6' 4" when he was twenty years old, pretty tall for a fighter pilot. He once told me when I was a kid that the F-86 would not have posed a problem for him but if he ever had to get out of a T-33 he would have had to pull a WW2 - jettison the canopy, undo his straps and jump out or roll inverted and fall out. Using the seat could have robbed him of his legs from the knees down, or his kneecaps at the very least!

These days there's an elaborate template you sit in during aircrew selection for this very reason.

 

[jocko417]

*NEW* - 21558/133558 of Utility Squadron 32 (VU 32), Maritime Air Group, HMCS Shearwater, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, circa 1970.





An interesting scheme from an era of transition - the Canadian Army, RCAF, and RCN were unified into a single entity called the Canadian Armed Forces in the late 1960s, with different branches according to role; Mobile Command, Air Command, and Maritime Command, for example. Also, starting in 1970, CAF aircraft serials were changed from a five to a six-digit format, where the leading three digits indicated the type designation while the trailing three identified the individual aircraft number. ie: the T-33 Mk.3 which had carried serials led with "21" became the CT-133, with serials "133xxx".

The description at the top is based on a best guess as to what the base and parent unit were called in 1970. I have read that Air Command assumed control of Maritime Air Group in 1975, at which point Naval Aviation in Canada officially ended.

Aircraft has CAF markings and serial on tail but retains the "21558" serial on the forward left fuselage. High-visibility tow target markings were carried, with cutouts for the large "buzz numbers". Aircraft also carried the badge for VU 32.



Livery inspired from a couple of pics I found online of Capt. William "Turbo" Tarling with this aircraft, as seen above. As well as other jet types including the CF-100 Canuck and CF-101 Voodoo, "Turbo" flew the T-33 during various postings throughout his air force career. At the time of his passing, two years ago, he had logged around 7700 hours on type, making him (by a huge margin) the world's highest time T-33 pilot. I enjoyed chatting with him about his career when I was volunteering at the Jet Aircraft Museum in London, Ontario a few years ago.

There's a short summary of his military flying career here:

Turbo Tarling





Another pic of "Turbo" and '558, showing the Del Mar RADOP gunnery targets that could be fitted to each wing of the aircraft. The targets were reeled out on cables to trail well behind the aircraft.




Pic above from an RCN/RCAF markings pdf I found online.


Download HERE

 

[jocko417]

Turbo with one of CFB Lahr’s Roadrunners.