Conversation Between pilotdb09 and FlyingJ664

thanks for the info! that's a story I haven't heard before- it's always neat to learn about the history of these planes

flyingj664,
Pilotdb09 here. I absolutely am blown away by the workmanship (work womanship)? on your T-33. I was in the AAF 1946-1949 spent 2 1/2 years at Selfridge Field, MI as a crew chief of the early P-80 Shooting Star.history of the actual finish on the P-80. Lockheed built them and in an effort to make them go fast, used a thick primer that covered all the rivet heads and panel lines, then painted them all a light grey. That's how they came from the factory and we had three squadrons of them.. (Now at Luke AFB in Phoenix). Well, flight loads created twisting and stress until there were so many patches of rough surface the ships actually flew slower than designed. So the brilliant idea from the "guv-mint" was to strip all planes, polish and re apply all the graphics. So for six weeks, 24 hours a day, we wore rubber suits, protective goggles and applied thick paint stripper and washed off all the filler and paint. Then the ships were polished the ID and other graphics applied.