A T-33 From the Air

 On Sunday, I went up to Bay City.  I was hoping that I could get some pictures from the air but it was raining at the time I got there and I don't really want to learn about the capabilities of my drone in the rain.  So then I decided to take M-47 to M-46 to M-52 to head home.  On the suggestion of my mother, I kept heading west from M-52.  By then the rain had stopped and I watch itching to take some pictures with my drone.

As I was heading west from where M-52 meets up with M-46,  I remembered that there was at least one gate guardian I could get a picture of.

I've tried to take pictures of this plane from the ground but the angles didn't quite work and it doesn't help that the plane is not in the best of condition.  Any, I was fairly happy with the first angle but I really liked this angle.

So I took the drone a little higher.

And moved it around for different angles.

Probably of the pictures I took, this was my favorite.

Anyway, the T-33 was developed as trainer version of the P-80 Shooting Star.  As more jets entered the inventory, the Air Force needed a way to train jet pilots.  The T-33 was lengthened so they could add a spot for the instructor.  As the Air Force developed more advanced training aircraft, the T-33 was relegated to target towing duties and eventually became a remote controlled target.

There are actually quite a few of these on display around the world.

Selfridge Air Show - Part I

I went to the Selfridge Air Show on Saturday.  It was free, so I headed over there fairly early. 

 I didn't get there early enough.  They had the World War I planes as I was heading into the air show.  Since I took a shuttle ride into the field, I didn't get a chance to get any pictures.  I did manage to get a picture of this parachutist though.

 First up was an AT-6 Trojan.  They were celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Selfridge Air National Guard base.  They came pretty close to having an example of every plane that flew there.  I think it was used as a training base during World War II (among other things).

 The Yankee Air Force's C-47.

 And of course, the Yankee Lady made an appearance.  Even though I see her quite a bit, I can never get tired of seeing a B-17.

 This time the AT-6 wasn't going through a cloud of smoke.

 Another AT-6.  I think this one was actually decked out like a plane that flew out of Selfridge.

 The Yankee Warrior.

 Another angle of the B-25.

 Another angle of the C-47.

 A P-40 Warhawk decked out to look like one of the Flying Tigers.  If I remember correctly, the announcers said that this plane was being flown by a US Senator.

 The P-51 Mustang.

 Another P-51 Mustang made to look like one of the Tuskegee Mustangs.  The Tuskegee Airman used Selfridge for training.

 A Hawker Hurricane.  Most people are familiar with the Supermarine Spitfire but the Hawker Hurricane was more of the workhorse for the Royal Air Force in World War II.

 Another angle of the P-40.

 A P-39 Airacobra.  The P-39 had the engine mounted behind the pilot.  It was also equipped with a fairly large cannon in the nose.  It wasn't very popular with the Americans but the Russians loved it.  It was a pretty good ground attack aircraft.

 Another shot of the P-51.

 And the Tuskegee Airmen one again.

 This was a group called the Trojan Horsemen.  They are a civilian demonstration group that flies the T-28 Trojan.  The T-28 was a training aircraft used by the US Air Force and Navy starting in 1950.  It was designed as a replacement for the T-6 Texan and was used as a primary trainer until the 1960's.  It continues to be used in the civilian circuit.

 This was a pretty cool maneuver where one of the solo pilots would do rolls around the diamond formation.

 One of the solo pilots flying.

 And the break.

 The T-33 was developed from the P-80 Shooting Star.  The P-80 Shooting Star was the first operational jet used by the United States.  The T-33 was used as a trainer.  It was produced from 1948 until 1959.  The last operational one was retired this year from the Bolivian Air Force.

 the plane coming out of the sky.

 When I saw this plane at the Airshow, I thought it was a Cessna but it turns out that is an American Champion Super Decathlon.  It is used as an Acrobatic trainer and first flew in 1970.  In that time over 6,000 have been produced.

 the plane coming off a Cuban 8.

 I kind of liked this picture.

 I really liked this picture.

 An F-86 Sabre.  Many of the pilots that fought in the Korean War were trained at Selfridge.  Some of those pilots became aces and for a while Selfridge was known as the Home of the MiG Killers.

 An A-10 Thunderbolt getting ready to takeoff.

 A KC-135 taking off.

 An Extra EA-300 flown by Jacqueline Warda.   The EA-300 was designed in 1987 by Walter Extra, a German aerobatic pilot.  It is powered by a 300 horsepower Lycoming Engine and is capable of going 253 miles per hour.  It is a pretty amazing aircraft.

 It has a pretty light airframe.

And pretty cool to watch.