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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00015_Field_15.txt
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1994-08-29
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23 lines
A Jet Takes Wing
When completed, the first XP-59 was sent to Muroc Dry Lake (later
Edwards Air Force Base) in California for trials. The test
pilots thought the XP-59 a lovely plane to fly. They became so
confident of the aircraft (and so sure of the huge landing area
at Muroc) that they would routinely fly their tanks dry, then
glide back to land.
Unfortunately, the XP-59 was terribly underpowered. The General
Electric engines did not deliver the amount of thrust the Air Force
required and it was deemed unsuitable as a fighter aircraft. But
with its delightful handling and low-wing loading, the "Airacomet"
-- as it was now called -- was perfect as a fighter-trainer. (In
December, 1945, the Lockheed XP-80 would become the first
U.S.A.A.F. operational jet fighter.)
The service life of the XP-59 was relatively short. Most retired
to flying schools as instructional planes for America's first
generation of jet pilots. But the very first XP-59 is preserved
in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum --
a testament to its importance in aviation history.