history · 02 October 1942 · 83 years ago
Bell P-59 Airacomet jet fighter took flight for the first time at Muroc Dry Lake, California, United States. The test pilot was Robert Stanley. The first turbojet-driven aircraft to be built in the USA, the P-59 fighter proved unacceptable as a stable gun platform and was quickly relegated to a training role where it would provide the USAAF with a nucleus of trained jet pilots for later aircraft.
More history on 02 Oct