Originally Posted by conspiratemus1

Outside the Hamilton Air Force Association hall in Dundas today.


The CT-133 Silver Star (as the Canadair-built jet trainer version flown by the RCAF & RCN was designated) used a Rolls-Royce Nene engine, more powerful than the Allison used in the American original. Incredibly, (or perhaps sadly predictably when you stop to think), the postwar British Labour government had sold the Nene, blueprints and all, to the Russians, who reverse-engineered it into the powerplant that drove the MiG-15. Over North Korea, the power of the Nene gave the MiG-15 an advantage in rate of climb that made it a formidable adversary to the F-86 Sabre especially in cases where it was flown by a skilled seasoned Soviet pilot who could approach the prowess of the USAF (which included RCAF volunteers during the hostilities.) The 1800-odd Canadian-built Sabres were eventually "up-motored" with Avro Canada Orenda engines, not in time for Korea but the Korea experience gave assurance that souped-up Orenda-powered Sabres defending European airspace would be able to prevail against MiG-15s in those dangerous times. The F-86 was, and is, far and away the best-looking jet aircraft ever built, but it needed the Orenda to give it soul.

Now, for extra credit, who are the two people in the photo below? The plane is an F-86 (or CL-13 as we called them officially.) No bicycling content.

If you're stumped, check out the Wikipedia page, "Canadair Sabre"