Who Is The Bell P-59: America's First Jet-Powered Aircraft?

The Bell P-59 Airacomet was the first ever jet powered aircraft invented by the United States. Although the Bell P-59 was America’s first jet powered airplane, it was certainly not the world’s first jet plane. The very first jet aircraft was the German built Messerschmitt Me 262 which flew for the first time in 1941. Even the British had their very own jet fighter aircraft before America, the Gloster E.28/39 Meteor, much like the Messerschmitt would become operational, during the war. In spite of the Bell P-59 not being the first jet plane to ever fly, and having no impact on the outcome of WW2, the Bell P-59 is still an important plane in the history of aviation in the United States.

The story of the first American Jet plane begin in 1941 when the military began to endeavor to produce a plane much like that of the British made Gloster E.28/39 Meteor. In September 1941 the Bell Aircraft company

Aviation History.com reports that “the Airacomet was described as radical in design, but only because it was jet powered. Other than the engine, the airplane’s design was quite conventional and its performance left much to be desired.” (Dwyer 2015) Showing that while the engine was a completely new design the overall aircraft was not. The Bell P-59 was only significant as a plane because of the type of engine it had. As far as performance goes the P-59 was at best an average performing aircraft, often being outshined by non-jet engines of the day. The problem was that the design of the exterior of the aircraft was not designed to maximize the efficiency of the jet engine, it was too conventional. As a result the Bell P-59 was unable to effectively maneuver against propeller driven engine powered aircraft of the time. It was quickly realized that the Bell P-59 Airacomet was unfit for service in the