Return of the Red Knight

With a paint scheme that appeared more blood-orange than fire-engine red, the original Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Red Knight aerobatic aircraft was eye-catching even if its hue did not quite match its name.

A Canadair T-33AN Silver Star with black accents on its nose and the fuel tanks on each wing, the aircraft was a forerunner of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, captivating audiences in more than 600 performances during the 1950s and ’60s.

It launched in 1958 as a single aircraft manned by one pilot and a support technician, but by 1961 the Red Knight team usually included two aircraft and two pilots–a primary and an alternate–as well as two technicians.

Blood-orange gave way to redder schemes, and an iconic red knight’s helmet was painted on either side of the nose starting in 1961.

A total of five T-33 aircraft served in the Red Knight program until it transitioned to Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets in the late 1960s, and 18 pilots served, including three who died in fatal crashes.

The final official performance by an RCAF T-33 Red Knight took place June 9, 1968, and the program came to an end the following year, when a CT-114 Tutor lost power, went out of control and crashed, killing pilot Brian Alston.

While the story of the Red Knight may be lost on younger generations, a group of volunteers from the Jet Aircraft Museum in London, Ont., is doing what it can to bring the story back.

Volunteers have been working since January 2016 to restore a Silver Star to flying condition, with plans to paint it in the Red Knight scheme, display it at the museum, and have it perform in modern airshows.

“The mission of the museum is–we have three words: preserve, educate, and soar,” said Simon Pont, the museum’s director of communications and events.

“We believe that it’s absolutely vital that people can come and see jets that used to fly and, if we’re lucky to keep them air worthy, continue to fly.”

Volunteers have logged more than 900 hours on the project, guided by aviation technician Brian Rhodenizer, with contributions from recent graduates of Fanshawe College’s aviation technician program.

There are plans to add red paint in early June, followed by other markings that identically match historical Red Knight aircraft.

The group has permission to add the Canada 150 logo to the underside of the aircraft, and it is tentatively scheduled to fly as part of Airshow London, a popular summer event based at London International Airport.

“There will also be many opportunities for us to take our aircraft to other airshows and draw attention to the work that the museum’s doing,” said Pont.

“Everything we do is because we love aircraft, we love aviation, but also we want people to turn their attention to what we’re doing at the museum, come and see what we have to offer.”

This is the first of two planned restorations of T-33 aircraft by the Jet Aircraft Museum. The second is set for later this year and will refurbish an authentic support aircraft for the RCAF Golden Hawks display team.

The museum is devoted to creating and maintaining a living history of the modern RCAF, with a collection that includes rare Cold War jets from the NATO alliance, including Canada and Britain.

Among its aircraft are a McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo fighter; a Hawker Hunter T7 transonic British jet; and a BAC Jet Provost, which was used as a trainer in Britain’s Royal Air Force.

“We’ve got a number of very exciting projects, all of which allow us to talk about the Cold War, what was going on, why these aircraft were important, how they were developed,” said Pont.

“We get to talk about the history of Canadian Forces in that, the broader global picture of what was going on … the Red Knight is just another means of drawing attention to that.”

Small frustrations affected the restoration of the first T-33, including difficulty taking its panels off because the screws holding them in place were corroded. The museum had to buy tens of thousands of screws and bolts to replace the ones it took off, said Pont.

“There was some choice language in the hangar on occasions when some of the things wouldn’t come out, but we got past that,” said Pont. “Hats off to our volunteers, who come in every time they can.”

He noted the essential role of sponsors in the T-33 restoration, including California-based Concord Batteries, which donated two batteries for the nose of the aircraft with a combined value of US$10,000.

Sherwin-Williams Aerospace in Ohio donated the paint, and a local painter is donating his time and equipment, said Pont. FThe vinyl decals are being supplied by CanMilAir, a supplier of authentic military decals in London.

“We couldn’t even get close to where we are now without the support and help and dedication of those donations but also our aircraft museum volunteers,” he said.

“We’ve trained jet aircraft museum members to be ground crew for that aircraft,” he added.

“When that aircraft flies, there won’t be anybody at that museum who can’t point at it and say, ‘I have a hand, I had some small part in putting that aircraft back in the sky.'”

While the Jet Aircraft Museum’s first T-33 was not part of the original Red Knight team, it may go a long way to preserving the team’s memory.

“We think it’s very important that the next generation is given an opportunity to look back into history and to see what pilots flew 30, 40, or even 50 years ago and see them flying today,” said Pont.

“[And] also, get the opportunity to get enthused and excited about possible careers in aviation.

“We have a responsibility as a museum to tell a story.”