![]() The success of the smaller E.28/39 proved the viability of jet propulsion, and Gloster pressed ahead with designs for a production fighter aircraft. The single-engined proof-of-concept Gloster E28/39, the first British jet-powered aircraft, conducted its maiden flight on, flown by Gloster's Chief Test Pilot, Flight Lieutenant Philip "Gerry" Sayer. In spite of ongoing infighting between Power Jets and several of its stakeholders, the Air Ministry contracted Gloster to manufacture a prototype aircraft powered by one of Whittle's new turbojet engines in late 1939. Power Jets and Gloster quickly formed a mutual understanding around mid-1939. Independently, Whittle had also been producing several proposals for a high-altitude jet-powered bomber following the start of the Second World War and the Battle for France, a greater national emphasis on fighter aircraft arose. Carter took a keen interest in Whittle's project, particularly when he saw the operational Power Jets W.1 engine Carter quickly made several rough proposals of various aircraft designs powered by the engine. On 28 April 1939, Whittle made a visit to the premises of the Gloster Aircraft Company, where he met several key figures, such as George Carter, Gloster's chief designer. The first Whittle prototype jet engine, the Power Jets WU, began running trials in early 1937 shortly afterwards, both Sir Henry Tizard, chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee, and the Air Ministry gave the project their support. Securing funding was a persistently worrying issue throughout the early development of the engine. For several years, attracting financial backers and aviation firms prepared to take on Whittle's radical ideas was difficult in 1931, Armstrong-Siddeley had evaluated and rejected Whittle's proposal, finding it to be technically sound but at the limits of engineering capability. Frank Whittle formed Power Jets Ltd in March 1936 to develop his ideas of jet propulsion, Whittle himself serving as the company's chief engineer. The development of the turbojet-powered Gloster Meteor was a collaboration between the Gloster Aircraft Company and Sir Frank Whittle's firm, Power Jets Ltd. ^ Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, FRAeS. Two further aircraft in the UK remain airworthy, as does another in Australia. As of 2013, two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, remain in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds. ![]() In the 1950s, the Meteor became increasingly obsolete as more nations introduced jet fighters, many of these newcomers having adopted a swept wing instead of the Meteor's conventional straight wing in RAF service, the Meteor was replaced by newer types such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. On 10 February 1954, a specially adapted Meteor F.8, the "Meteor Prone Pilot", which placed the pilot into a prone position to counteract inertial forces, took its first flight. On 20 September 1945, a heavily modified Meteor I, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent turbine engines driving propellers, became the first turboprop aircraft to fly. Other performance-related records were broken in categories including flight time endurance, rate of climb, and speed. In 1946, this record was broken when a Meteor F.4 reached a speed of 616 mph (991 km/h). On 7 November 1945, the first official air speed record by a jet aircraft was set by a Meteor F.3 of 606 miles per hour (975 km/h). The Meteor was also used for research and development purposes and to break several aviation records. Specialised variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photographic aerial reconnaissance and as night fighters. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution in the Korean War. The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades. ![]() Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Nicknamed the "Meatbox", the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been under way since 1936. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. ^ First prototype Gloster F.9/40 (DG202/G), the Allies first ever jet-powered fighter aircraft. ![]()
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