T2V-1 / T-1 SeaStar
Lockheed T-1A Seastar in 1959
Role carrier-capable trainer
Manufacturer Lockheed
First flight 15 December 1953
Introduction May 1957
Retired 1970s
Primary user United States Navy
Number built 150
Developed from Lockheed T-33
A T2V-1 (T-1A) SeaStar (foreground) and a TV-2 (T-33B) Shooting Star in flight in 1954

The Lockheed T2V SeaStar, later called the T-1 SeaStar, is a carrier-capable jet trainer for the United States Navy that entered service in May 1957. Developed from the Lockheed T-33 (itself derived from the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star), it was powered by one Allison J33 engine.

Design and development

Starting in 1949, the U.S. Navy used the Lockheed T-33 for land-based jet aircraft training. The T-33 was a derivative of the Lockheed P-80/F-80 fighter and was first named TO-2, then TV-2 in Navy service. However, the TV-2 was not suitable for operation from aircraft carriers. The persisting need for a carrier-compatible trainer led to a further, more advanced design development of the P-80/T-33 family, which came into being with the Lockheed designation L-245 and USN designation T2V. Lockheed's demonstrator L-245 first flew on 16 December 1953 and production deliveries to the US Navy began in 1956.[1]

Compared to the T-33/TV-2, the T2V was almost totally re-engineered for carrier landings and at-sea operations with a redesigned tail, naval standard avionics, a strengthened undercarriage (with catapult fittings) and lower fuselage (with a retractable arrestor hook), power-operated leading-edge flaps (to increase lift at low speeds) to allow carrier launches and recoveries, and an elevated rear (instructor's) seat for improved instructor vision, among other changes. Unlike other P-80 derivatives, the T2V could withstand the shock of landing on a pitching carrier deck and had a much higher ability to withstand sea water-related aircraft wear from higher humidity and salt exposure.

Operational history

The only version of the T2V was initially designated T2V-1 when it entered service, but was redesignated T-1A SeaStar under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, the designation under which it would spend the majority of its career.

The T-1A was replaced by the North American T-2 Buckeye but remained in service into the 1970s.

Operators

T-1 Seastar in airworthy condition at Salt Lake City Airport in 1994. Still operational in 2011.
 United States

Surviving aircraft

As of 2017, one T2V-1A airworthy, based at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (former Williams Air Force Base) in Mesa, Arizona,[2] and being flown for experimental and display purposes. Two examples are preserved on public display in Tucson, Arizona.[3]

Specifications (T2V-1)

3-view line drawing of the Lockheed T2V-1 Seastar
3-view line drawing of the Lockheed T2V-1 Seastar

Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two (student & instructor)
  • Length: 38 ft 6.5 in (11.75 m)
  • Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 4 in (4.06 m)
  • Wing area: 240 sq ft (22.3 m2)
  • Empty weight: 11,965 lb (5,427 kg)
  • Gross weight: 15,500 lb (7,031 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 16,800 lb (7,636 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Allison J33-A-24/24A turbojet, 6,100 lbf (27 kN) thrust

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 580 mph (933 km/h, 504 kn) at 35,000 ft (10,670 m)
  • Range: 970 mi (1,560 km, 843 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
  • Rate of climb: 6,330 ft/min (32 m/s)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Swanborough p. 297
  2. ↑ "FAA REGISTRY N-Number Inquiry Results N447TV is Assigned". registry.faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 July 1999. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Ogden, p. 98
  4. ↑ Francillon 1982, pp. 321–322.
Bibliography
  • Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London:Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.
  • Ginter, Steve. Lockheed T2V-1/T-1A Seastar. Naval Fighters #42. Simi Valley, California: Ginter Books, 1999. ISBN 978-0-942612-42-4.
  • Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. 2007. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-385-4.
  • Swanborough, Gordon, with Bowers, Peter M. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. 1990. Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-87021-792-5.
  • Green, William, with Gerald Pollinger. The Aircraft of the World. New York; Doubleday & Co., 1965. P. 255.
  • Green, William, with Dennis Punett. MacDonald World Air Power Guide. London; Purnell & Sons, Ltd. (reprinted by Doubleday), 1963. P. 28.
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