Red Knight (aircraft)
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The Red Knight was a Canadian aerobatic show that operated from 1958 to 1969. Consisting of a single red Canadair CT-33 Silver Star, the Red Knight performed loops, rolls, Cuban 8s, horizontal 360s, inverted flight, and high speed passes at airshows around North America, often appearing as an opening act for or in conjunction with the Golden Hawks and later the Golden Centennaires, Canada's contemporary aerobatic teams.
During its career with the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Red Knight was flown by seventeen different pilots from six different bases. For a short time, there were even two Red Knight aircraft that performed together. However, this practice was cut short after an accident at the August 21, 1963 Gimli Air Force Day airshow. During a Cuban 8, alternate pilot Wayne MacLellan recognized that he was too low to the ground and aborted the manoeuvre. Lead pilot J.W. "Bud" Morin failed to recognize this and was killed when his plane contacted the ground. An air force investigation allowed the team to continue, but forbade any further coordinated acts.
The Red Knight had five trouble-free years of flying after Morin's accident, but that was cut short when pilot John Reid crashed during a photo shoot on May 21, 1968. After conducting a low-altitude loop, Reid could not pull the aircraft up fast enough and crashed into the ground. Though he was thrown clear of the wreckage, Reid died in hospital. This tragedy was closely followed by another. On July 13, 1969, the Red Knight suffered a power failure and crashed during the forced landing, killing pilot Bryan Alston. These two crashes in short succession led the air force to seriously reconsider the program. Though they were willing to continue it, there were no high-time pilots with aerobatic experience who were willing to volunteer. Thus, the Red Knight program was officially canceled.
After its disappearance as a formal demonstration aircraft, the Red Knight was resurrected as a private show. Between 1990 and 1993, Rick Brickert flew a restored T-33 in airshows around the United States and as the pace plane for the Reno Air Races. His plane sat unused after Rick's 1993 death until it was acquired by Red Knight Air Shows, LLC in 2003. This company currently operates the T-33 and coordinates appearances at airshows around the continent.
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