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Meet the aircraft
Lockheed developed the tandem-seat T-33 Shooting Star as a subsonic jet trainer. It prepared pilots of the early jet era for faster operational aircraft. The add-on developer documents the simulator's systems, liveries and package contents.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗The first jet takeoff brings an unexpected confidence boost
Peters had been warned that a new student might overcontrol the T-33 and rock its wings after takeoff. He remembered deciding to avoid chasing every small movement, then hearing his instructor praise the smoothness of that first departure. The compliment gave him a powerful boost in confidence. Difficulties he had encountered in earlier training seemed to fall into place in the jet.
Veterans Affairs Canada oral-history transcript. Canadian T-33 training recollection; the public transcript was read, not the video.
Veterans Affairs Canada · Read more ↗The modern cockpit adds familiar civil avionics
The illustrated modern panel includes a G3X Touch, GNS 430, GTX 330 transponder and GMC autopilot controller. The rear cockpit follows the corresponding classic or modern layout.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
iniBuilds · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Palm Springs Air Museum · 5 min ·
T-33 Shooting Star In Flight
Palm Springs Air Museum shares footage of its airworthy T-33.
Real aircraft · Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
Lockheed developed the tandem-seat T-33 Shooting Star as a subsonic jet trainer. It prepared pilots of the early jet era for faster operational aircraft. The add-on developer documents the simulator's systems, liveries and package contents.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
Lockheed → · Explore the family →
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
Wikipedia contributors · Lockheed T-33 ↗iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A military trainer finds a later life teaching civilian pilots
Schiff’s report describes Larry Salganek using a T-33 for instruction at Santa Fe after acquiring it in 1994. Students ranged from private and airline pilots to astronauts, giving a surviving jet trainer a continuing teaching role outside military service.
AOPA Pilot · Taming the T-Bird ↗School history reported in 2014; not a statement of current availability or prices
Development milestones
Designer: Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight: 22 March 1948
Developed from: Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
Wikipedia contributors · Lockheed T-33 ↗Lockheed T-33 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1374259491
Pilot accounts
The first jet takeoff brings an unexpected confidence boost
Peters had been warned that a new student might overcontrol the T-33 and rock its wings after takeoff. He remembered deciding to avoid chasing every small movement, then hearing his instructor praise the smoothness of that first departure. The compliment gave him a powerful boost in confidence.
Difficulties he had encountered in earlier training seemed to fall into place in the jet. His progress became rapid, and he finished with trophies for flying and academic performance. The result also brought a choice of subsequent aircraft for the highest-placed students.
Veterans Affairs Canada oral-history transcript. Canadian T-33 training recollection; the public transcript was read, not the video.
Read the full account · Veterans Affairs Canada ↗A patient instructor makes an old jet less intimidating
Schiff’s first T-33 takeoff at Santa Fe made a long runway feel surprisingly short in the high density altitude. Once airborne, the light roll forces and straightforward cockpit gave him a strong sense of the early jet era. The aircraft required attention and coordination without the automation of a modern jet.
Larry Salganek’s teaching style helped make that workload enjoyable. Schiff remembered being repeatedly encouraged, even when he felt his performance did not entirely deserve it. The reassurance helped him relax and build confidence.
AOPA Pilot · January 2014. Instruction with Larry Salganek at Santa Fe in a privately operated T-33; historical operating figures remain in the original article.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗A reward flight turns into an exercise in communication
Kershner expected a gentle local flight for an enlisted sailor receiving an Airman of the Month reward. A landing-gear control problem kept the wheels down, and an uneven fuel-feed problem then made one wing increasingly heavy. He tried to keep the passenger occupied with views around San Francisco while working through the difficulties.
Communication with the ground added an absurd complication. Squadron staff were looking for the officer responsible for their T-33s, apparently failing to understand that Kershner himself was that officer and was already speaking from the aircraft. He recalled releasing the full tip tank and returning to land. The story retains his humour about the misunderstanding while leaving the detailed emergency procedures and later rumours about the passenger in the source.
AOPA Pilot retrospective · November 1995. A 1955 U.S. Navy TV-2/T-33 flight with a first-time passenger; historical decisions are the author’s account.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
iniBuilds · Released
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
iniBuilds · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) |
| Wingspan | 38 ft 10.5 in (11.849 m) |
| Height | 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) |
| Wing area | 234.8 sq ft (21.81 m² ) |
| Empty weight | 8,365 lb (3,794 kg) |
| Gross weight | 12,071 lb (5,475 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 15,061 lb (6,832 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal flow turbojet engine, 5,400 lbf (24 kN) thrust for take-off with water injection |
| Maximum speed | 600 mph (970 km/h, 520 kn) at sea level |
| Cruise speed | 455 mph (732 km/h, 395 kn) |
| Range | 1,275 mi (2,052 km, 1,108 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 48,000 ft (15,000 m) |
| Rate of climb | 4,870 ft/min (24.7 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
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Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
The modern cockpit adds familiar civil avionicsLockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The illustrated modern panel includes a G3X Touch, GNS 430, GTX 330 transponder and GMC autopilot controller. The rear cockpit follows the corresponding classic or modern layout.
MSFS 2024 manual · PDF pp.30–32
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Ground equipment and display effects are selectableLockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The product lists covers, chocks, an entry ladder, engine plugs and pitot covers, plus smoke and flare effects. It separately labels wing-mounted drop bombs as an iniStore-only feature.
iniBuilds T-33 product description · gathered September 2026; store-specific feature distinction
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Flap readings use different units in the two cockpitsLockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The guide distinguishes the G3X display’s flap angle in degrees from the classic gauge’s percentage of full travel. Comparing the numbers directly would mix two different scales.
MSFS 2024 manual · PDF p.11 visually checked; attachment labelled 1.0.4, preface 1.0.3
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Walkaround items affect whether the aircraft can operateLockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Engine covers prevent starting, chocks prevent movement, and installed landing-gear pins keep the gear locked down. The manual places their removal in the MSFS 2024 walkaround.
MSFS 2024 manual · PDF pp.7–8; no claim about the 2020 walkaround interface
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Find procedure checklists in the simulator EFBLockheed T-33 Shooting Star · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The manual directs users to the aircraft icon and Checklists in the simulator’s electronic flight bag. This supplements the separate manual and quick-reference card.
MSFS 2024 manual · PDF p.9
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Pilot account
The first jet takeoff brings an unexpected confidence boostVeterans Affairs Canada oral-history transcript. Canadian T-33 training recollection; the public transcript was read, not the video.
Peters had been warned that a new student might overcontrol the T-33 and rock its wings after takeoff. He remembered deciding to avoid chasing every small movement, then hearing his instructor praise the smoothness of that first departure. The compliment gave him a powerful boost in confidence. Difficulties he had encountered in earlier training seemed to fall into place in the jet. His progress became rapid, and he finished with trophies for flying and academic performance.
Walter Peters
Veterans Affairs Canada · Read the source ↗A patient instructor makes an old jet less intimidatingAOPA Pilot · January 2014. Instruction with Larry Salganek at Santa Fe in a privately operated T-33; historical operating figures remain in the original article.
Schiff’s first T-33 takeoff at Santa Fe made a long runway feel surprisingly short in the high density altitude. Once airborne, the light roll forces and straightforward cockpit gave him a strong sense of the early jet era. The aircraft required attention and coordination without the automation of a modern jet. Larry Salganek’s teaching style helped make that workload enjoyable. Schiff remembered being repeatedly encouraged, even when he felt his performance did not entirely deserve it.
Barry Schiff
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Aircraft background
Lockheed T-33Wikipedia contributors · Research background · retrieved 2026-09-12Product
T-33 Jet Trainer for MSFSiniBuilds · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12Developer documentation
T-33 Jet Trainer MSFS 2024 manualiniBuilds · Forum attachment labelled 1.0.4; PDF preface says 1.0.3, 28 November 2024Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 2 profile choices
iniBuilds T-33 Jet Trainer
iniBuilds · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
iniBuilds T-33 Jet Trainer: Assisted roll and spring-aided pitch motivate separate axis loading.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star: Assisted roll and spring-aided pitch motivate separate axis loading.
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