Fradet, G.P. (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1955-March-17

Male Head

Birth Date: unkown date

Born:

Home:

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

Unit

3 AFS- Advanced Flying School

Base

Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Sergeant

Service Numbers

1955-03-17 - T-33 21343, in which Sergeant GP Fradet, FAF NATO student pilot, crashed on a night flying exercise seven miles east of Winnipeg Beach. Sergeant Fradet was fatally injured.

1955-03-17 - Equipment and Divers arrived from Vancouver to commence diving operations in Lake Winnipeg to reach the wreckage of T-33 21343

1955-04-07 - Salvage operations on Lake Winnipeg for the wreckage of T-33 21343 were temporarily suspended due to the mild weather and the resultant unsafe condition of the ice.

Canada Primary Source Station Historical Record - RCAF Station Gimli - 1955-03-17

Silver Star serial: 21343

Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (company model number CL-30) is the Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 jet trainer aircraft, in service from the 1950s to 2005.

The Canadair CT-133 was the result of a 1951 contract to build T-33 Shooting Star trainers for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The powerplant is a Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet instead of the Allison J33 used by Lockheed in the production of the original T-33. A project designation of CL-30 was given by Canadair and the name was changed to Silver Star. The appearance of the CT-133 is very distinctive due to the large fuel tanks usually carried on each wingtip. A total of 656 CT-133 aircraft were built by Canadair.

The CT-133 entered service in the RCAF as its primary training aircraft for fighter/interceptors. The designation of the Silver Star in the Canadian Forces was CT-133.

The CT-133's service life in the RCAF (and later the Canadian Forces) was extremely long. One of the more unusual roles it played was as an aerobatic demonstration aircraft, the RCAF's Red Knight. Although the aircraft stopped being used as a trainer in 1976, there were still over 50 aircraft in Canadian Forces inventory in 1995. The youngest of these airframes was then 37 years old and had exceeded its expected life by a factor of 2.5. During this period, the Canadair T-33 was employed in communication, target towing, and enemy simulation. Wikipedia

Wikipedia Wikipedia Canadair CT-133 Silver Star

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Unit Desciption