Photos Devil Child's Focus: Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star, variants, & derivatives

[Devil Child]

Happy Monday everyone! Time for some morning coffee and new updates.

USAF Ground crew performs maintenance on a General Electric/Allison J33-A-35 jet engine for an F-80C during the Korean War, August 1950.

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star undergoing rocket-assisted takeoff tests. 44-85231.

Lockheed F-80A Shooting Stars in formation flight.

 

[Devil Child]

First Lieutenant Russell J. Brown, United States Air Force, 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, is credited with shooting down a Russian-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 15 jet fighter near the Yalu River while flying a Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star. This may have been the very first time that a jet fighter had been shot down by another jet fighter.

snip...

Soviet records reported no MiG 15s lost on 8 November. Senior Lieutenant Kharitonov, 72nd Guards Fighter Aviation Unit, reported being attacked by an F-80 under circumstances that suggest this was the engagement reported by Lieutenant Brown, however Kharitonov succeeded in evading the American fighter after diving away and jettisoning his external fuel tanks.

A Soviet MiG 15 pilot, Lieutenant Khominich, also of the 72nd Guards, claimed shooting down an American F-80 on 1 November, but U.S. records indicate that this fighter had been destroyed by anti-aircraft fire.

Brief write up on the first engagement between the MiG-15 and F-80C over Korea.

8 November 1950 | This Day in Aviation

 

[Devil Child]

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star modified with upward angled guns for anti-bomber trials.

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star modified with upward angled guns for anti-bomber trials.

 

[Devil Child]

Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star "Lulu-Belle." The first Shooting Star prototype.

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star given to National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) for testing.

Lockheed XP-80R Shooting Star, the was a P-80A-1-LO which underwent conversion to prototype P-80R Racer.

 

[Devil Child]

Saturday morning cereal, cartoons, and Shooting Star reference-history book review time.

Just finished reading Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star by David McClaren and I am a happy man. Check out the review below, keep your wallet handy. Trust me.

Book - Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star: A Photo Chronicle

A comprehensive photo history of the Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft.

www.militaryimages.net

 

[FoxBat]

so those are basically the first Me-262 derivatives by the US ?

 

[Devil Child]

so those are basically the first Me-262 derivatives by the US ?

Not a Me-262 design derivative. Much different design with single fuselage mounted engine rather than dual nacelle wing engines. The design was started by Lockheed Chief Research Engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson May, 1943. Kelly and Lockheed were wanting to start a jet program as early as 1939.

 

[Devil Child]

Happy Monday! Let's start the week with this cool series of the Shooting Star participating in stateside air-racing.

USAF Lt. Walter Rew waves to the crowd from his Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star after winning the Allison air-race trophy, 1949.

USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Walter Rew as it crosses the finish with checkered flag, 1949.

USAF Lt. Walter Rew waves to the crowd from his Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star after winning the Allison air-race trophy, 1949.

 

[Chazman]

Happy Monday! Let's start the week with this cool series of the Shooting Star participating in stateside air-racing.

USAF Lt. Walter Rew waves to the crowd from his Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star after winning the Allison air-race trophy, 1949.

USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Walter Rew as it crosses the finish with checkered flag, 1949.

Looks like an F-84.

 

[Devil Child]

@Chazman the checkered flag finish photo it definitely could pass for a Republic F-84 Thunderjet. The first two are clear Shooting Stars, can even check out the detailed text on the pilots canopy! Also easy identifier for me is noting the nose air intake of the F-84 vs the side intakes of the F-80. Source for F-80 claim in finish line pic the USAF archives.

 

[Devil Child]

Bob Hope exits a Lockheed T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star while on USO tour during The Korean War.

Plane's history:
T-33A-1-LO sn 49-977

1951: USAF 25th FIS (51st FIW).
1955: USAF 68th FIS.
10/25/1955: Crashed near Itazuke AB, Japan after a collision with T-33A 51-4110.

 

[Fish&Chips]

22nd Fighter Squadron - Lockheed P-80B-1-LO Shooting Star - 45-8634 at Fürstenfeldbruck AB, Germany in 1948

 

[Fish&Chips]

A Kiwi Canuck CT-133!

This lovely Canadian Silver Star from CFB Baden Sollingen was one of the highlights at RAF Wyton on 16 July 1983.
The Canadian Air Force flew with Silver Stars in Europe from 1953 till 1992. 133345 is now preserved at Greenwood

 

[Devil Child]

Beautiful and welcome addition @Fish&Chips. I have that P-80B in my collection but haven’t posted yet.

In case you were wondering here's the story I have for 45-8634

Lockheed P-80B-1-LO Shooting Star s/n 45-8634

• 1949: USAF 22nd FS (36th FG).
• 1952: USAF 3595th PTG.
• 1954: New Mexico ANG 188th FIS.
• 6/17/1954: Written off at Natrona County APT, WY.

The Canuck CT-133 is quite a looker!

Weekend updates on the horizon and perhaps another book review.

 

[Devil Child]

Unlocked the associated photo album so if anyone has Shooting Stars to add please feel free to add them to this album and link to this thread!

Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star

www.militaryimages.net

 

[Fish&Chips]

The Canuck CT-133 is quite a looker!

Yes, it is! Here's another one from Canada.

A tight formation shot during an exercise over the Canadian base at Shearwater.

 

[Devil Child]

Much needed Sunday update. Enjoy!

Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star in flight. S/N 44-85004

Lockheed F-80C Shooting Stars of the USAF "Acrojets" aerobatic display team.

Lockheed XP-80A Shooting Star S/N 44-83022. The third Shooting Star prototype.

Lockheed XP-80 "Lulu-Belle" S/N 44-83020. The original Shooting Star prototype currently at the Smithsonian.

Lockheed XP-80A Shooting Star S/N 44-83021 in flight. The second Shooting Star prototype.

 

[Devil Child]

Some Shooting Stars over Korea.

USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Stars of the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing with 2x 500lb en route to target in Korea, August 1952.

USAF Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star S/N 49-853 armed with napalm bombs takes off from a Korean air field. February 1951.

USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star banks left after attacking a target in Korea in June 1951.

Twelve USAF North American F-86A Sabre fighters and twelve Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star fighters over Korea, on 1 June 1951.

USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star fighter-bombers from the 8th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 49th Fighter-Bomber Group, during the Korean War, in 1950-51.

 

[Devil Child]

Brief write up on the first engagement between the MiG-15 and F-80C over Korea.

Quoting myself for this important Shooting Star milestone today!

8 November 1950: A 25-year old, first lieutenant flying with the 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing) became the first pilot to shoot down a jet-powered aircraft in the first all-jet, air-to-air battle.

Korean War pilot achieves aviation first

From the time military aviators engaged in aerial combat during World War I, their exploits produced innumerable "firsts" in aviation history. One such "first" occurred during the Korean War on Nov.

www.af.mil

 

[uktabber]

@Bombardier you posted up one of my favorite pics of the Shooting Star in action. Also one of the more dynamic and intense pics of Korean War ground attack in action. Posting the high-res version of the one you shared.

A U.S. Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star drops napalm bombs in Korea, May 1952. Note what appears to be a tracer below the plane

This dramatic photo of a U.S. Air Force F-80 Shooting Star fighter-bomber has captured the action which occurred May 8 when day-long flights of Fifth Air Force warplanes blasted the Communist two-square mile supply center at Suan in the largest single air strike of the Korean conflict. The storage area, 35 miles southeast of Pyongyang, was smothered with more than 12,000 gallons of napalm dropped by the attacking planes. In this photo a tank of napalm can be seen just after being released. It is below the left wing of the jet. Target for the napalm is a supply building (below plane) and court-yard filled with loaded supply vehicles. Low-level attacks such as these (notice relationship of F-80 to smoke stack at right) makes for accuracy. It also makes it easier for enemy ground fire. Anti-aircraft fire, leaving a faint smoke trail, can be seen flying upward from a Communist sandbagged gun position on the small ridge in the turn of the road

This is a GREAT picture!!! Thanks for posting it!