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CONTACT CITY STAFFT-33 TBird
Aircraft at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42
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Click for larger photo
| A/C SN | 51-4533 |
| Date Acquired: | April 2007 |
| Acquired From: | Lyle Strader of Shafter Airport, Bakersfield, Ca |
| Order # | AF33-338, 1/806 |
| Displayed: | February 7, 2008 |
History
Manufactured by Lockheed Aircraft, Burbank CA and delivered to the USAF on 13 June, 1952.
| Jun 1952 | To 3640th Pilot Training Wing (Air Training Command), Laredo AFB TX |
| Nov 1954 | To 2230th Air Reserve Flying Center (US Air Force Reserves), NAS New York NY |
| Jan 1956 | To 2252nd Air Reserve Flying Center (AFRES), Clinton County AFB OH |
| Oct 1956 | To 2500th Air Base Wing (Continental Air Command), Mitchel AFB NY |
| May 1957 | To 2234th Air Reserve Flying Detachment (AFRES), Youngstown MAP OH |
| Jul 1957 | To 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (Air Defense Command), Laurence G. Hanscom AFB MA (deployment to Portsmouth AFB ND) |
| Jul 1959 | To 465th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ADC), Laurence G. Hanscom AFB MA |
| Mar 1960 | To 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ADC), Minot AFB NH |
| May 1960 | To 32nd Fighter Group (ADC), Minot AFB (deployment to Truax Field WI) |
| Feb 1961 | To 32nd Fighter Wing (ADC), Minot AFB (deployment to Malmstrom AFB MT) |
| Aug 1965 | To 343rd Fighter Group (ADC), Duluth MAP MN |
| Oct 1965 | Dropped from inventory by transfer to museum status |
| Data provided by AF Archives, Maxwell AFB | |
| Apr 2007 | Purchased for display at Joe Davies Heritage Airpark |
A. W. "Tony" LeVier, Test Pilot/Dare Devil
When Charles Lindbergh made his famous solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in
1927 an excited 14-year-old Tony LeVier announced to his family, "I'm going to become
an airplane pilot!" His mother, who always encouraged her son to reach as high as
possible, replied, "That's wonderful Tony, just remember to be a good one." The
Huckleberry Finn of aviation did just that. He became one of the best.
- In the 1930s he won the junior pilot aerobatic meet, barnstormed the country, operated two flying schools and competed in air races.
- In 1941 he joined the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and tested the P-38 Lighting, XP-80A jet fighter and the XP-80 Shooting Star.
- Authored "Pilots Report on Supersonic Flight."
- Flight tested the XF-104 Starfighter, the T-33B trainer, and the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and made several safety improvements to supersonic fighters.
Bought from Lyle Strader of Shafter Airport, Bakersfield, CA, April 2007 and moved from his home at 90th Street West, Lancaster CA to the airpark on April 16, 2007.
The Tail, Fuselage, tip tanks and Wing were detached and loaded on City of Palmdale trucks and driven to the airpark. The aircraft was reassembled on the following day. Major maintenance was performed, including stripping, painting, adding new decals and the cockpit completely overhauled. The aircraft was placed on display at the Airpark on February 7, 2008.
