The World's Oldest Flying Jet
Dec 24, 2014 06:50:02 #
I'm sure some of know what the oldest flying jet is. In case you don't know, it's an F-86A, built in 1948. It's almost as old as I am.
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
Dec 24, 2014 08:11:16 #
Dec 24, 2014 08:18:28 #
DaveO wrote:
Wonder if Ted Williams ever flew it. The Sabre was used in Korea.
if he had, I think that would have been mentioned in the article.
I'd like to see an article about the world's oldest jet pilot. Chuck Yeager?
Dec 24, 2014 08:29:55 #
Dec 24, 2014 09:14:50 #
DaveO wrote:
Just found that he flew the F9 in Korea. 39 combat missions.
That was back in the days when celebrities served the public by doing more than making movies. Jimmy Stewart was also a pilot - in WWII.
http://life.time.com/culture/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/#1
Clark Gable, too.
http://www.legendaryclarkgable.com/WWII.html
Dec 24, 2014 10:47:41 #
Yes,it is warming to look back,but I suspect every generation feels the same! One of the reasons I always remember the "Yesterday,When I Was Young" song. HaHa! Our old memories can't be matched,or so we say and I believe it....
Dec 25, 2014 06:30:59 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I'm sure some of know what the oldest flying jet is. In case you don't know, it's an F-86A, built in 1948. It's almost as old as I am.
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
That one is, in fact, older than I am. We have had one on static display, for as long as I can remember, in front of the 182nd Air National Guard station at the Peoria, IL airport. The model we have is the one flown by a Peoria native in service during the Korean War.
Dec 25, 2014 07:10:24 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I'm sure some of know what the oldest flying jet is. In case you don't know, it's an F-86A, built in 1948. It's almost as old as I am.
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
You may be right but I have an inkling the Glouster Meteor still flying, might challenge this.
Dec 25, 2014 07:23:14 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I remember a striped out F86 in a park in Monroe NY when I was a kid. It was a Big Deal to me the first time I saw it back in the '50's.I'm sure some of know what the oldest flying jet is. In case you don't know, it's an F-86A, built in 1948. It's almost as old as I am.
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-oldest-flying-jet-1673824739/1674036154/+travis
Dec 25, 2014 07:27:26 #
Unfortunately viscountdriver,
This is a copy of an article in the Daily Mail dated 5th March 3013. Which makes the British Meteor Flying, an NF11 night fighter & T7 trainer built 1949 both a year younger.
Returning to the skies, the oldest jet fighter in the world: British built Meteor to fly again 70 years after its maiden flight
4,000 Meteors were built and exported to serve with countries around world
This month one of last Meteors still in airworthy condition will take to the air
Will mark opening of museum at Newquay Airport - formerly RAF St Mawgan
By BEN GRIFFITHS FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 00:10, 5 March 2013 | UPDATED: 07:53, 5 March 2013
View comments
Seventy years ago today Britains first front-line jet fighter took to the skies at the height of the Second World War.
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world during a time when Britain truly ruled the skies.
And this month one of the last Meteors still in airworthy condition the oldest flyable British jet in the world will take to the air over Cornwall to mark the opening of a new museum at Newquay Airport, the former RAF St Mawgan.
Seventy years ago today Britain's first front-line jet fighter - the Gloster Meteor - took to the skies at the height of the Second World War
Seventy years ago today Britain's first front-line jet fighter - the Gloster Meteor - took to the skies at the height of the Second World War
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world
The Gloster Meteor was the Allies first operational jet, with sorties starting in July 1944 with 616 Squadron.
Designed by George Carter, the prototype took off in secrecy from RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire on March 5, 1943.
Meteors were first based at RAF Culmhead in Somerset but were soon moved to Manston in Kent, closer to the action above occupied Europe and ready to intercept the dreaded German Luftwaffe.
The aircraft was quickly sent up to combat the menace of V-1 flying bombs, pilotless pulse-jet projectiles that were the forerunners of todays cruise missiles.
They were fired from the Continent to later crash to earth over southern England. With a top speed of more than 400mph, Meteors notched up their first kills of V-1s in August 1944.
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Initially created as a single-seater, pilots used to piston-engined, propeller-driven aircraft had to quickly get to grips with their new Meteors.
Many aircrew would be instantly taken by the lack of the spinning propeller they were used to seeing at the front of their Spitfires and Hurricane fighters. They were also amazed at the quieter engines at least from the cockpit; the noise outside being deafening to bystanders.
By 1949 dual controlled Meteors were being produced which enabled flying instructors to ease the transition from propeller to jet aircraft.
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory.
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor
Legendary post-war test pilot Bill Waterton, in his memoirs The Quick and the Dead, described his first impression of the new jet fighters as a poor one, saying the low-powered early variants often seemed touch and go whether they would take off or not.
But he grew to appreciate the aircrafts qualities as it developed into a fine flying machine.
'After the noise of orthodox 'planes, they seemed to slide through the air in an uncanny, effortless silence,' he said.
For a short while after the war Gloster's Meteors were the best-performing aircraft in the world and were an export success, being ordered by air forces across the globe.
Waterton described it as a wonder plane.
It had the fastest speed and climb, the best manoeuvrability, and the highest ceiling of any production aircraft in the world, he said.
Today only a handful of Meteors remain in airworthy condition.
One is flown as a trials aircraft by British firm Martin Baker, which makes ejection seats for airforces around the world. Another flies in Australia.
And two are looked after by the Classic Air Force, at the Newquay museum.
Besides its T.7 training machine, the museum formerly known as Air Atlantique when based at Coventry Airport operates a rare NF.11 night fighter which was one of the first vintage jets to be flown in private hands.
Classic Air Force, which operates as a charity, is due to open its doors to the public on Good Friday, March 29. It will be the biggest visitor attraction to open in the south west since the Eden Project in 2003.
Refuelling Gloster Meteors aircraft at Druffield in Yorkshire. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory
Refuelling Gloster Meteors aircraft at Druffield in Yorkshire. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory
Boasting 25 aircraft, some of its aeroplanes are regular attractions at airshows across Britain. Some will be available for paying passenger flights.
Group Captain Davie Paton OBE RAF retd, the chief executive of the Classic Air Force said: The Meteor is one of the most iconic of all British aircraft and paved the way for generations of jet fighters.
Here at the Classic Air Force we operate the last flyable example of the Meteor Night Fighter as well as a two-seat T.7 trainer variant.
The aeroplane was built in 1949, making it the oldest flyable British jet in the world.
Tim Skeet, chairman of the Classic Aircraft Trust, explains the charity was set up in 2012 to ensure the continued operation of the Meteors and several other classic British aircraft in the skies over the UK.
He said: Keeping Meteors and other survivors of this era flying is our key objective.
It is vital that these aircraft are not lost overseas and can be an inspiration to future generations of pilots and engineers. They really are the last link to an era when Britain ruled the skies.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288111/Returning-skies-oldest-jet-fighter-world-British-built-Meteor-fly-70-years-maiden-flight.html#ixzz3MuW1EJPi
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
This is a copy of an article in the Daily Mail dated 5th March 3013. Which makes the British Meteor Flying, an NF11 night fighter & T7 trainer built 1949 both a year younger.
Returning to the skies, the oldest jet fighter in the world: British built Meteor to fly again 70 years after its maiden flight
4,000 Meteors were built and exported to serve with countries around world
This month one of last Meteors still in airworthy condition will take to the air
Will mark opening of museum at Newquay Airport - formerly RAF St Mawgan
By BEN GRIFFITHS FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 00:10, 5 March 2013 | UPDATED: 07:53, 5 March 2013
View comments
Seventy years ago today Britains first front-line jet fighter took to the skies at the height of the Second World War.
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world during a time when Britain truly ruled the skies.
And this month one of the last Meteors still in airworthy condition the oldest flyable British jet in the world will take to the air over Cornwall to mark the opening of a new museum at Newquay Airport, the former RAF St Mawgan.
Seventy years ago today Britain's first front-line jet fighter - the Gloster Meteor - took to the skies at the height of the Second World War
Seventy years ago today Britain's first front-line jet fighter - the Gloster Meteor - took to the skies at the height of the Second World War
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world
Almost 4,000 Meteors were built and they were exported to serve with countries around the world
The Gloster Meteor was the Allies first operational jet, with sorties starting in July 1944 with 616 Squadron.
Designed by George Carter, the prototype took off in secrecy from RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire on March 5, 1943.
Meteors were first based at RAF Culmhead in Somerset but were soon moved to Manston in Kent, closer to the action above occupied Europe and ready to intercept the dreaded German Luftwaffe.
The aircraft was quickly sent up to combat the menace of V-1 flying bombs, pilotless pulse-jet projectiles that were the forerunners of todays cruise missiles.
They were fired from the Continent to later crash to earth over southern England. With a top speed of more than 400mph, Meteors notched up their first kills of V-1s in August 1944.
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
Next
v
Initially created as a single-seater, pilots used to piston-engined, propeller-driven aircraft had to quickly get to grips with their new Meteors.
Many aircrew would be instantly taken by the lack of the spinning propeller they were used to seeing at the front of their Spitfires and Hurricane fighters. They were also amazed at the quieter engines at least from the cockpit; the noise outside being deafening to bystanders.
By 1949 dual controlled Meteors were being produced which enabled flying instructors to ease the transition from propeller to jet aircraft.
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory.
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor
By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor
Legendary post-war test pilot Bill Waterton, in his memoirs The Quick and the Dead, described his first impression of the new jet fighters as a poor one, saying the low-powered early variants often seemed touch and go whether they would take off or not.
But he grew to appreciate the aircrafts qualities as it developed into a fine flying machine.
'After the noise of orthodox 'planes, they seemed to slide through the air in an uncanny, effortless silence,' he said.
For a short while after the war Gloster's Meteors were the best-performing aircraft in the world and were an export success, being ordered by air forces across the globe.
Waterton described it as a wonder plane.
It had the fastest speed and climb, the best manoeuvrability, and the highest ceiling of any production aircraft in the world, he said.
Today only a handful of Meteors remain in airworthy condition.
One is flown as a trials aircraft by British firm Martin Baker, which makes ejection seats for airforces around the world. Another flies in Australia.
And two are looked after by the Classic Air Force, at the Newquay museum.
Besides its T.7 training machine, the museum formerly known as Air Atlantique when based at Coventry Airport operates a rare NF.11 night fighter which was one of the first vintage jets to be flown in private hands.
Classic Air Force, which operates as a charity, is due to open its doors to the public on Good Friday, March 29. It will be the biggest visitor attraction to open in the south west since the Eden Project in 2003.
Refuelling Gloster Meteors aircraft at Druffield in Yorkshire. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory
Refuelling Gloster Meteors aircraft at Druffield in Yorkshire. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory
Boasting 25 aircraft, some of its aeroplanes are regular attractions at airshows across Britain. Some will be available for paying passenger flights.
Group Captain Davie Paton OBE RAF retd, the chief executive of the Classic Air Force said: The Meteor is one of the most iconic of all British aircraft and paved the way for generations of jet fighters.
Here at the Classic Air Force we operate the last flyable example of the Meteor Night Fighter as well as a two-seat T.7 trainer variant.
The aeroplane was built in 1949, making it the oldest flyable British jet in the world.
Tim Skeet, chairman of the Classic Aircraft Trust, explains the charity was set up in 2012 to ensure the continued operation of the Meteors and several other classic British aircraft in the skies over the UK.
He said: Keeping Meteors and other survivors of this era flying is our key objective.
It is vital that these aircraft are not lost overseas and can be an inspiration to future generations of pilots and engineers. They really are the last link to an era when Britain ruled the skies.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288111/Returning-skies-oldest-jet-fighter-world-British-built-Meteor-fly-70-years-maiden-flight.html#ixzz3MuW1EJPi
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Dec 25, 2014 07:54:20 #
John. B wrote:
Unfortunately viscountdriver,
This is a copy of an article in the Daily Mail dated 5th March 3013. Which makes the British Meteor Flying, an NF11 night fighter & T7 trainer built 1949 both a year younger.
This is a copy of an article in the Daily Mail dated 5th March 3013. Which makes the British Meteor Flying, an NF11 night fighter & T7 trainer built 1949 both a year younger.
I just found the same article.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288111/Returning-skies-oldest-jet-fighter-world-British-built-Meteor-fly-70-years-maiden-flight.html
"...the oldest flyable British jet in the world..."
Dec 25, 2014 08:08:57 #
jerryc41 wrote:
That was back in the days when celebrities served the public by doing more than making movies. Jimmy Stewart was also a pilot - in WWII.
http://life.time.com/culture/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/#1
Clark Gable, too.
http://www.legendaryclarkgable.com/WWII.html
http://life.time.com/culture/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/#1
Clark Gable, too.
http://www.legendaryclarkgable.com/WWII.html
Wasn't George Bush (the elder) the youngest of all WW11 pilots?
Dec 25, 2014 09:40:17 #
The first jet in combat operation was the ME262 which had a huge speed but could only operate for a short time.Had the Germans got it going 12 months earlier it would have caused a lot of problems.
Dec 25, 2014 10:54:09 #
On a purely personal note, being USAF EOD, the "oldest " aircraft crash I ever responded to, was a F-86 in the commissary parking lot on Osan AB, ROK.
Just arriving to work, being on standby one of our duties was morning coffee, the Crash Phone from Base Command Post rings off. A rather panic and bewildered voice reports of an F-86 crash at the Commissary Parking lot. I too was completely confused, just moments preiously having walk passed the commissary enroute to work. Hell, the EOD shop was in easily trot distance of the spot, and I heard no noise. I immediately responded, via foot.
Seemed that immediately after I passed the spot, thr ROKAF, were moving a static display F-86, and it slid off the roadway into the binjo ditch seperating the parking lot and the street. Listening into the Korean base radio, being less than fluent in Korean, the base command post went immediately into the "Oh Shit" mode.
No fatalities, limited damage to the Aircraft, major embarrassment, and 1 great war story.
Just arriving to work, being on standby one of our duties was morning coffee, the Crash Phone from Base Command Post rings off. A rather panic and bewildered voice reports of an F-86 crash at the Commissary Parking lot. I too was completely confused, just moments preiously having walk passed the commissary enroute to work. Hell, the EOD shop was in easily trot distance of the spot, and I heard no noise. I immediately responded, via foot.
Seemed that immediately after I passed the spot, thr ROKAF, were moving a static display F-86, and it slid off the roadway into the binjo ditch seperating the parking lot and the street. Listening into the Korean base radio, being less than fluent in Korean, the base command post went immediately into the "Oh Shit" mode.
No fatalities, limited damage to the Aircraft, major embarrassment, and 1 great war story.
Dec 25, 2014 11:02:18 #
viscountdriver wrote:
You may be right but I have an inkling the Glouster Meteor still flying, might challenge this.
Yep, and there's plenty of De Havilland Vampires still flying too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQpSAxrz7I4
And speaking of Sabres Jerry. We built CAC Sabres
at Fishermans Bend... about 25 miles from where
I live. Ours flew rings around the North American F86
thanks to the Roll Royce Avon power plants we
fitted instead of the GE:thumbup:
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