I flew in a Cold War-era jet that trained US fighter pilots. It showed how far military aviation has come.

• I had the rare opportunity to fly in a historic jet trainer ahead of the Pacific Airshow in October.
• The T-33 Shooting Star was used to train US Air Force pilots on jet aircraft until the early 1960s.
• The flight was an unforgettable glimpse into aviation history as modern fighters rule the skies.

Strapped in the rear seat of the T-33’s cockpit, I triple-checked the buckles and straps securing me. The clear bubble canopy sealed shut with a click, shutting out the aircraft’s engine roar.

As someone who has solely flown on commercial airliners and once on a puddle jumper in Alaska, I didn’t know what to expect until the jet’s mounting speed on the runway pressed me back into my seat. The rush of adrenaline pulled my focus away from the sensation of the wheels leaving the ground as the world below transformed into a patchwork of shrinking buildings and roads.

As the sunset painted wispy clouds in a red-orange glow, I felt transported back to the Jet Age’s earliest days, when competency at this aircraft’s stick and analog controls was a make-or-break for US Air Force trainees.

Developed by Lockheed Corporation, the T-33 Shooting Star was a subsonic jet trainer designed to transition Air Force pilots from propeller-driven aircraft to the emerging era of jet propulsion in the late 1940s.

But the hourlong flight in the run-up to the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California, taught me to appreciate the iconic aircraft that paved the way for the cutting-edge jets that dominate today’s skies.