By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
A military jet that dates back to the 1940s will be featured at this year’s Great Bend Airport Airfest. Greg Colyer will be bringing a T-33 Shooting Star from his home in Marin County, California.
Colyer explained why the T-33 was important to the U.S military.
“It’s a pretty robust airplane that served for almost 50 years in the U.S. air forces,” Colyer said. “Obviously a plane that probably has a billion flight hours on it and trained tens of thousands of military aviators around the world. Obviously, something wouldn't last that long if it wasn’t a dependable airframe.”
Colyer got his pilot’s license when he served in the Army. He wasn’t able to snag a job as a commercial airline pilot when he got out of the service, so he became an air traffic controller. He retired from that job after 27 years. He has been flying in air shows for the past 14 years and loves showing off the T-33 aircraft.
"I love my opening photo pass which is just a nice pass in front of the crowd to start and end my routine,” Colyer said. “I like the vertical rolls, my second maneuver in the thing. I come over the crowd at a thousand feet and do a one-and-a-quarter vertical roll. That's pretty fun.”
Colyer is now teaching at the U.S. Air Force test pilot’s school at Edwards Air Force Base in California and doesn’t have as much time to perform in as many airshows as he used to. He says he chose to come to Great Bend because it is one of his favorite airshows.
Great Bend Airport Airfest is an event that features air shows, historical displays and educational tours. It is being held this year on Sept. 17-19.