Toronto, Ontario
1959-03-09 - Silver Star Aircraft 21387 crashed at approximately 1030 hours near Bird's Hill, Manitoba, fatally injuring two instructors, 237287 Flying Officer GS Graham and 30231 Flight Lieutenant EL Fine, who were doing mutual instrument flying. the Cause of the crash was obscure.
NOTE: it appears that the author of the historical record mis-entered the tail number of the aircraft in this incident as 21387. The correct serial number was 21378. Unfortunately we cant correct this error only the data in this database.
1959-03-11 - A funeral service for Flight Lieutenant EL Fine was held in the Protestant Chapel with Rabbi L. Berkel officiating.
Fine, Edward Leonard (Flight Lieutenant)
Killed in Flying Accident 1959-March-09
Birth Date: 1926-January-05
Born: Toronto, Ontario
Parents: Son of Joseph and Rose Fine from Montreal, Quebec.
Spouse: Husband of Alexandra Fine. Father of Monica Fine.
Home: Toronto, Ontario
Enlistment: Montreal, Quebec
Enlistment Date: 1950-February-26
Service
RCAF
Unit
3 AFS- Advanced Flying School
Base
Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
Rank
Flight Lieutenant
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
K289781
Station Historical Record - RCAF Station Gimli - 1959-03-09
Canadian Virtual War MemorialCrew or Other Personnel
Silver Star 21378
Silver Star serial: 21378
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 Canadair CT-133 Silver Star
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Gimli Manitoba