#1 Jet of World War II

The a/c's airframe and engines were
underdeveloped, and as a consequence it was as much of a threat to its
pilots as was enemy action.

I suppose that I (and other Me-262 fans) are overwhelmed by its good
looks. More than any other WWII, with the exception of the Zero, it
looks sinister. (The Zero was also a bit of a threat to its pilot

I read Mr. Whittle's bio a few years ago. IIRC, all he needed was official
backing (i.e., money) and he could have produced and perfected his gem far
earlier than historically.

Well, every genius thinks he's unappreciated.

It's true, he didn't get the money until September 1939, and that may
be a major reason why the Germans were ahead of him.

For all that, I suspect that the Whittle Unit was a dead end. It looks
like a collection of tin cans from a scrap drive. No other turbojet
looks remotely like it. Did even GE stick with the contraption very
long?


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
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