This Lockheed TO-1 Shooting Star found its honorable retirement in Merced, CA, c. 1969.
Manufactured at Lockheed's Burbank, CA plant in 1947, this aircraft was originally ordered for the USAF as a P-80C, but was never taken up and was diverted to the USMC (BuNo 33850). It was flown by Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 311, which received the first fighter aircraft to be introduced to Marine aviation, and it is probable that 33850 was among that early batch. VMA 311 was stationed at Yokosuka at the time, and would be stationed in Pusan by 1950, flying CAS missions during the Korean War. By 1949, however, the squadron had transitioned to the F9F2 Panther, so 33850 was re-designated as a TV-2 (trainer variant) and used for land-based training.
33850 in her actual operational markings, 1948 |
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