XP-59A - Milestones of Flight

187k GIF - 100k JPEG Smithsonian Institution photograph by M. Avino	Milestone: America's First Turbojet Aircraft
	Date of Milestone: October 1, 1942/October 2, 1942
	Aircraft: Bell XP-59A
	Pilot: Robert M. Stanley/Col. Laurence C. Craigie
	Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery

T his aircraft, the first Bell XP-59A, is the direct ancestor of all American jet aircraft. Built for testing purposes, it proved that turbojet-powered flight was feasible and efficient.

Designed and built by the Bell Aircraft Corporation, the XP-59A was first flown at Muroc Dry Lake, California, on October 1, 1942, by Bell's chief test pilot Robert M. Stanley. The next day Col. Laurence C. Craigie became the first U.S. military pilot to fly a turbojet aircraft. In October 1943, Ann Baumgartener Carl of the Women Airforce Service Pilots flew a YP-59A and became the first American woman to fly a jet airplane.

The XP-59A was powered by the first American jet engine, the General Electric I-A, which was based on the W2B design of British jet pioneer Frank Whittle.
Donated by the U.S. Army Air Forces and Bell Aircraft Corporation

Design Features:

Wingspan:	14.9 m (49 ft)
Length:	12 m (38 ft 10 in)
Height:	3.8 m (12 ft 4 in)
Weight, empty:	3,294 kg (7,320 lb)
Engines:	2 General Electric I-A centrifugal-flow turbojet engines each rated at 5,560 newtons (1,250 lb) static thrust
Manufacturer:	Bell Aircraft Corporation, Buffalo, New York

More Information:
Bell XP-59A Airacomet - Aircraft of The Smithsonian

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