Costilla County is pleased to announce that a T33A (Thunderbird) Jet Trainer is on static display at the Costilla County Veteran’s Park located on CR HH east of the Town of Fort Garland and visible from Highway 160. 

 Former Colorado State Representative, State Senator and GSA Regional Administrator for 6 States, Mr. Larry Trujillo and Fort Garland resident Silver Jaramillo were discussing the possibility of placing an old cannon from the Fort Garland Museum at the Veteran’s Park. Silver mentioned that the cannon was gone and told Mr. Trujillo to “get us a tank or a plane”. Mr. Trujillo’s staff reported that there were no tanks currently available at the time but a plane was a good possibility.

Mr. Trujillo and Silver met with County Commissioner Edward Vigil, Larry Gomez, (District One Road Supervisor), and John A. Medina, (Commissioners Assistant) to discuss the possibility of applying for an aircraft to display at the Veteran’s Park. John Medina was tasked to be the County contact person and Mr. Bobby Givens the contact person for Mr. Larry Trujillo’s office.

Mr. Givens and John Medina started the application process for Costilla County in 2003 with Pat Ochs, USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB. The T33A aircraft was offered to Costilla County and was accepted by the County Commissioners. Because of the Commissioners effort in stabilizing the county budget, the county was able to pay the transporting and assembly costs which were in excess of $30,000. The plane is on loan to the county and the county together with American Legion Post 142 and VFW Post 6101 will perform the maintenance required by the USAF Museum.

John Medina contacted Worldwide Aircraft Transport, Ltd to disassemble and pick up the plane at Battle Mountain Nevada and transport it to Costilla County, reassemble and mount it on the pedestal. Mr. Marty Batura and his assistant Bill Lemieux reassembled the plane at the park and mounted it on the pedestal that had been constructed by the Fort Garland Shop personnel, (Supervisor Larry Gomez, employees Adam Cordova, Donnie Torrez, John Maes, Miguel Chairez), American Legion Commander Juan Trujillo, and members Gilbert Maes, Luther Medina, Gene Medina, John Medina and volunteer Ron Medina, did the cement work on the pedestal base.

The pedestal design was obtained from a static display of a T33A aircraft in Belen, New Mexico. Mr. Ruperto Baldonado supplied a copy of their pedestal design and American Legion Commander Juan Trujillo provided the drawing with the specifications for the county pedestal. Mr. Blas Perales welded the support gussets to the pedestal plate before the plane was mounted.

The T33A trainer was first flown on March 22, 1948 and was called a TF-80C. A year later it became the T33A.  The trainer was modified from the P/F-80 (Shooting Star) jet fighter used in the Korean War. It originated in 1944 but  saw no service in WWII.

The Shooting Star was used mostly in a Ground-Attack role but in November 1950 one shot down a MIG-15 which was possibly the first conclusive combat between jet fighters. In 1980 it was still in service with 28 different foreign Air Forces.

The T33A served as the United States Air Force’s standard jet trainer for almost two decades. The T33A was so popular it became the chosen jet trainer for may foreign air forces. The prototype aircraft was powered by a De Havilland H1 turbojet but the British engine became unavailable and General Electric re-designed the engine J33 for it’s use.

Plans for dedicating the T33A are being made for August 2008 and will be announced beforehand.