Additional Cold War planes will be on display at the AFMSA.
As part of its planned expansion to add three more cold war jet aircraft to its collection, the Air Force Museum Society of Alberta (AFMSA) will receive a Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (T-Bird or T-33) on Tuesday, September 06, 2022, following its trip from Cold Lake.
The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (company model number CL-30) is the Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 jet trainer aircraft, in service from the 1950s to 2005. It resulted from a 1951 contract to build T-33 Shooting Star trainers for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and went into production in Canada on September 13, 1951. The aircraft (a/c) has been employed as an advanced jet trainer, ground attack aircraft, combat support, and test aircraft. The T-33 retired as one of the most versatile, successful, and respected jet aircraft ever produced. As of March 31, 2005, the Silver Star had flown in RCAF and Canadian Forces (CF) service for 54 years (the longest service aircraft in the history of the CF and RCAF) and logged nearly 2.4 million flight hours!This aircraft has had the engine removed, all fluids drained and has been on display at the Cold Lake museum for approximately ten years. It will be ready for public viewing shortly after arrival, as only the tip tanks need to be reinstalled. Also, the CT-133 Nene 10 engine with display mount will be a new exhibit in our Cold War Exhibit (CWE) facilities.
The T-33 coming to Calgary is one of the final Canadair Silver Star Mk. 3s, which 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. It had the aft cockpit removed to make room for a unique ejection-seat rail system that can accommodate nearly any ejection seat model for testing.
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: 3,830 kg (8,444 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,630 kg (16,800 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet, 22 kN (5,000 lb) thrust performance
• Maximum speed: 920 km/h (570 mph, 500 km)
• Service ceiling: 14,000 m (46,000 ft)
• 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: 3,830 kg (8,444 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,630 kg (16,800 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet, 22 kN (5,000 lb) thrust performance
• Maximum speed: 920 km/h (570 mph, 500 km)
• Service ceiling: 14,000 m (46,000 ft)
There are four aircraft on site: an F5 mounted on a pole seen from Crowchild Trail, an F-86 Sabre, a CF-104 Starfighter, and an F-18 Hornet are displayed inside the Cold War exhibit. The hangars and the Cold War era fighters are part of an exhibit that describes the history of the Cold War and Canada's contribution to NORAD and NATO. The exhibit also pays tribute to the many Canadians who stood ready to defend Canada throughout the Cold War.
For more information about the museum and the cold war exhibit, please visit https://rcaf.museum/visit/coldwar-museum.
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