P-59 Airacomet

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The P-59 Airacomet was a fighter aircraft manufactured in the U.S by Bell Aircraft Corporation during the World War II. Developed in secrecy, its genesis came at the personal direction of Gen. “Hap” Arnold. Bell Aircraft was chosen for the project in part because of its location near the General Electric engine plants in New York and Massachusetts. Aircraft flew almost exactly a year after development began. To ensure secrecy, the XP-59 was fitted with a dummy propeller whenever it was towed on the ground. Col. Laurence C. “Bill” Craigie became the first U.S Army Air Force pilot to fly a jet when he made the type’s “official” first flight on October 1, 1942.

A USN aviator flew the first jet flight on April 21 1943, when Capt. Frederick M. Trapnell flew the XP-59 at Muroc AAF, California. The 412th Fighter Group became the first USAAF jet fighter unit when it was formed in 1943 and stationed at Bakersfield, California, and then later at March Field, California. This unit primarily served as a jet pilot training unit. The P-59 was never a great performer and was quickly overtaken by development of other jet aircraft, mainly the P-80 Shooting Star.

Airacobras were armed with a single 37mm cannon, coupled with a battery of 3 x 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine guns - all mounted in the nose. The twin powerplants, seated to either side of the fuselage, provided a full 2,800lbs of thrust. Despite the fact that these were, in fact, two turbojet engines, the P-59 still did not contend well in head-to-head match-ups with the propeller-driven, piston-powered North American P-51 Mustangs. Besides the P-59’s operated by the United States, Britain received an Airacobra in an even exchange for a Gloster Meteor for research purposes.Only in operational service for about a year, the type was phased out of service by 1949.

Specifications (P-59 Airacomet)

Type: Fighter aircraft
Crew: 1
Length: 38.85 ft / 11.84m
Wingspan: 45.5 ft /13.88 m
Height: 12.3 ft / 3.76 m
Empty Weight: 7,940 lb / 3600 kg
Max. Takeoff Weight: 12,700 lb / 5,760 kg
Engines: Two General Electric J31-GE-5 turbojets
Max. Speed: 450 mph
Ceiling: 43,400 ft
Range: 440 miles
Armament: One 37mm cannon, three .50 caliber machine guns; 1984 lb of bombs

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