The Red Knight was a Canadian air force aerobatic display aircraft that operated from 1958 to 1969. The red-painted

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

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 The Golden Hawks were a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aerobatic flying team established in 1959 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the RCAF and the "Golden" 50th anniversary of Canadian flight, which began with the AEA Silver Dart in 1909. ...

display team and later the Golden Centennaires, Canada's contemporary aerobatic teams. The Silver Star was replaced by the

Tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

in July 1968.

History

During its service with the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

(1958–1968) and the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

(1968–1969), the Red Knight was flown by seventeen different pilots from four different bases.Dempsey 2002, p. 709. Beginning in 1961 a second Red Knight aircraft with alternate pilot entered service, and the aircraft sometimes performed together or separately in different locations. An accident involving two Red Knights occurred on August 21, 1963 at the Gimli Air Force Day airshow. When the aircraft were performing a Cuban 8, alternate pilot Flight Lieutenant Wayne MacLellan recognized that he was too low to the ground and aborted the manoeuvre. Lead pilot Flight Lieutenant 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 Capt. John Reid crashed during a photo shoot on May 22, 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, Red Knight Capt. Bryan Alston was killed when his Tutor suffered a power failure and crashed during the forced landing.Dempsey 2002, p. 222. These two crashes in short succession led the air force to seriously reconsider the program. Ultimately, because of budget considerations and personnel cuts, the Red Knight program was canceled in 1969. After its disappearance as a formal demonstration aircraft, the Red Knight was resurrected as a private show in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Between 1990 and 1993, Rick Brickert flew a restored Lockheed T-33 in airshows around the United States and as the pace plane for the

Reno Air Races The Reno Air Races, or Roswell Air Races, officially known as the National Championship Air Races, are a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that took place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, ...

. After Rick's death in 1993 when he crashed the Pond Racer experimental aircraft, the T-33 sat unused until acquired by Red Knight Air Shows, LLC in 2003. This company currently operates the T-33 and coordinates appearances at airshows around the continent. The Jet Aircraft Museum in London, Ontario has restored a Silver Star to flying condition and the aircraft has been painted in the Red Knight paint scheme.

References

* Dempsey, Daniel V. ''A Tradition of Excellence: Canada's Airshow Team Heritage''. Victoria, BC: High Flight Enterprises, 2002. . {{Canadian aerobatic teams Royal Canadian Air Force