Lockheed T2V SeaStar

T2V-1 / T-1 SeaStar
T2V-1 / T-1 SeaStar
	Lockheed T-1A Seastar in 1959
General information
Type	carrier-capabletrainer
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	150
History
Introduction date	May 1957
First flight	15 December 1953
Retired	1970s
Developed from	Lockheed T-33

TheLockheed T2V SeaStar,later called theT-1 SeaStar,is acarrier-capable jet trainerfor theUnited States Navythat entered service in May 1957. Developed from theLockheed T-33(itself derived from theLockheed P-80 Shooting Star), it was powered by oneAllison J33engine.

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 theLockheed P-80/F-80fighter 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 designationL-245and USN designationT2V.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 designatedT2V-1when it entered service, but was redesignatedT-1A SeaStarunder the1962 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 theNorth American T-2 Buckeyebut remained in service into the 1970s.

Operators

T-1 Seastar in airworthy condition atSalt Lake City Airportin 1994. Still operational in 2011.

United States

Surviving aircraft

As of 2017, one T2V-1A airworthy, based atPhoenix-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 inTucson,Arizona.^[3]

Specifications (T2V-1)

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

Data fromLockheed 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-24/24Aturbojet,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)

References

Notes

^Swanborough p. 297
^"FAA REGISTRY N-Number Inquiry Results N447TV is Assigned".registry.faa.gov.Federal Aviation Administration. 21 July 1999. Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2017.Retrieved10 December2017.
^Ogden, p. 98
^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.

External links

Naval Aviation Chronology 1954–1959chapter fromUnited States Naval Aviation 1910–1995book.Archived14 March 2007 at theWayback Machine

[1] Swanborough p. 297

[2] "FAA REGISTRY N-Number Inquiry Results N447TV is Assigned".registry.faa.gov.Federal Aviation Administration. 21 July 1999. Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2017.Retrieved10 December2017.

[3] Ogden, p. 98

[Frnc_lock_p321-2-4] Francillon 1982, pp. 321–322.

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