Slow Entry into the Jet Age

The Bell XP-59A  Airacomet was the first American jet aircraft. The XP-59A was intended to be a jet fighter, but it was still slower than the best conventional airplanes at the time. Instead, the XP-59A was used to teach fighter pilots how to fly a jet. These jets were America's first step into the jet age.

Credits: Archival footage - Bell Helicopter Textron via Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

• #education
• #aviation
• #jets
• #military_aviation