| Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Registration / Serial: | 44-22650 |
| Alternate Serial: | 422650 |
| Military Code: | PJ-650 |
| Aircraft Original Type: | Bell P-59 Airacomet |
| Aircraft Generic Type: | Bell P-59 Airacomet |
| Aircraft Version: | Bell P-59B Airacomet |
| C/n (msn): | 27-58 |
| Operator Titles: | USA - Air Force |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| City / Airport: | Dayton - Wright-Patterson AFB / Wright AFBMap |
| Region / Country: | Ohio, United States |
| Airport Codes: | ICAO: KDWF IATA: - Local: DWF Other: - |
| Collection: | National Museum of the United States Air Force |
| Photo Date: | 16 December 2024 |
| Photo by: | Richard Vandervord |
| Photo ID: | 829773 |
| Photo Comment |
|---|
|
Designed and built by Bell at Buffalo, NY in great secrecy during WWII, the P-59 was America's first jet aircraft. After use by the NACA Laboratory at Cleveland, in 1947 it was transferred to Kirtland AFB, NM for further testing. By 1951 it had been placed on display there and after use as a ground instructional airframe, was flown to the USAFM aboard a C-124 in 1956. The 66 P-59s built were powered by two GE turbojets developed from the British Whittle engine. but low thrust and a heavy airframe design resulted in poor performance but did provide valuable development cues. Six now survive This photo is copyright © Richard Vandervord, and may not be used or published in any way without permission. It was added on 28 July 2025, and has since been viewed 29 times. |