Gloster Meteor NF.13 (T.7)
Frank Whittle had managed to get his first jet engine working by 1938, but could not find any British aircraft company willing to design an aircraft around it: though there was a massive prewar expansion of British aviation going on at the time, Whittle's engine was simply too radical. Finally, in 1939, Whittle had a conversation with George Carter, the Gloster Aircraft Company's chief designer. Carter was enthusiastic about designing a jet aircraft, and Whittle had finally found a company willing to work with him. On 15 May 1941, the first Whittle jet-powered aircraft, the Gloster E.28, flew for the first time.
By that time, World War II was well underway, and Great Britain was fighting for its life against Nazi Germany--and the Germans were far ahead on jet aircraft development. Though the E.28 was only a research aircraft, the Air Ministry rapidly approved a Gloster proposal for a two-engined jet fighter with heavy cannon armament and tricycle landing gear. Initially, the new aircraft was to be named Thunderbolt, but it was switched to Meteor to prevent confusion with the American P-47. Delays in engine manufacturing delayed the first flight of the Meteor until March 1943. Control problems were found on the first flight, but these were cured with a larger rudder.
The first Meteors to enter service were Meteor F.1s, and were used successfully to destroy V-1 flying bombs--the first kill was made by tipping the V-1 over using the Meteor's wing, as the 20mm cannons had jammed. The Meteor F.3 quickly superseded the F.1 (the F.2 was cancelled due to engine issues), and these would see limited service during World War II--the British were worried that one would crashland in German territory. It was a great disappointment to Meteor pilots, who wanted to show what their mount was capable of against the Messerschmitt Me 262. Postwar tests proved that the 262 was the superior aircraft, thanks to the Germans' use of swept wings, while the Meteor was a straight-winged aircraft. Pilots liked the Meteor and, while it was not easy to fly, it was responsive. It was also impressive to look at, and was found to be superior to all of the RAF's piston-engined fighters in speed and maneuverability.
Postwar, continual improvements were made to the Meteor to increase its stability and speed--the engine nacelles were lengthened, as was the fuselage, and the tail was redesigned. The Meteor F.8 was about as far as the design could go, given the limitations of straight wings, but the aircraft was adapted into radar-equipped night fighter and reconnaissance versions. The Meteor's accident rates were high--not surprising with an entirely new aircraft--and for the first part of its career, it was something of a pilot killer due to difficulty bailing out of it. Once a reliable ejection seat was developed by Martin-Baker, pilot losses declined considerably. It was an export success as well, with at least 16 air forces flying Meteors at one point.
Meteors would see combat over Korea, where it proved to be an excellent ground attack platform, but at a severe disadvantage against the swept-wing MiG-15. Meteors were used by both sides during the Arab-Israeli Wars, with the better-trained Israelis getting the best of air combat. By the mid-1950s, however, the Meteor was obsolete, and it was gradually withdrawn in favor of the Hawker Hunter and the Gloster Javelin in British service. Testbed Meteors remained in service, and Martin-Baker still uses two aircraft for ejection seat testing as of this writing. 3947 Meteors were built, and as many as a hundred survive in museums, though only five are currently flyable.
Though restored as a Meteor NF.II nightfighter, WF877 was actually a Meteor T.7 trainer. During its time in the RAF, it was used as both a trainer and testbed, being used to develop ejection seat systems for the Folland Gnat. In 1966, it was retired and transferred to Flight Refueling Ltd., which continued to use WF877 as a testbed until 1974, when it was grounded and donated to the Torbay Aircraft Museum. When Torbay closed in 1988, it was acquired by a British warbird company that intended to restore WF877 back to flyable status. This never happened, and in 2003, it was donated to the RAF Museum at Duxford. The aircraft was dismantled and stored in the open, and it steadily deteriorated until 2016, when an American warbird collector acquired WF877. Shipped to the US around 2016, it was acquired by the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2020.
Though I had gotten a picture of WF877 last year in May 2021, inside Pima's restoration hangar, the museum had finished restoration and put it on display in early 2022. I really wanted to see how it had turned out, especially since the museum restored it in Israeli Air Force colors. As expected, the restoration was superb: WF877 is painted in 1950s-era IDF/AF camouflage, with black undersides for night operations, as an aircraft of 119 Squadron, based at Ramat David. (Ironically, 119 Squadron, though it did see service in the Suez War, only scored one kill--an Ilyushin Il-14 transport--and spent most of its time training crews rather than flying combat.) As my dad had planned on building an Israeli Meteor shortly before he passed away, seeing one--even if it never actually served with the Heyl Ha'avir--was quite something.
To see WF877 when it was still being worked on, go here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/51192880431/in/photoli...
Gloster Meteor NF.13 (T.7)
Frank Whittle had managed to get his first jet engine working by 1938, but could not find any British aircraft company willing to design an aircraft around it: though there was a massive prewar expansion of British aviation going on at the time, Whittle's engine was simply too radical. Finally, in 1939, Whittle had a conversation with George Carter, the Gloster Aircraft Company's chief designer. Carter was enthusiastic about designing a jet aircraft, and Whittle had finally found a company willing to work with him. On 15 May 1941, the first Whittle jet-powered aircraft, the Gloster E.28, flew for the first time.
By that time, World War II was well underway, and Great Britain was fighting for its life against Nazi Germany--and the Germans were far ahead on jet aircraft development. Though the E.28 was only a research aircraft, the Air Ministry rapidly approved a Gloster proposal for a two-engined jet fighter with heavy cannon armament and tricycle landing gear. Initially, the new aircraft was to be named Thunderbolt, but it was switched to Meteor to prevent confusion with the American P-47. Delays in engine manufacturing delayed the first flight of the Meteor until March 1943. Control problems were found on the first flight, but these were cured with a larger rudder.
The first Meteors to enter service were Meteor F.1s, and were used successfully to destroy V-1 flying bombs--the first kill was made by tipping the V-1 over using the Meteor's wing, as the 20mm cannons had jammed. The Meteor F.3 quickly superseded the F.1 (the F.2 was cancelled due to engine issues), and these would see limited service during World War II--the British were worried that one would crashland in German territory. It was a great disappointment to Meteor pilots, who wanted to show what their mount was capable of against the Messerschmitt Me 262. Postwar tests proved that the 262 was the superior aircraft, thanks to the Germans' use of swept wings, while the Meteor was a straight-winged aircraft. Pilots liked the Meteor and, while it was not easy to fly, it was responsive. It was also impressive to look at, and was found to be superior to all of the RAF's piston-engined fighters in speed and maneuverability.
Postwar, continual improvements were made to the Meteor to increase its stability and speed--the engine nacelles were lengthened, as was the fuselage, and the tail was redesigned. The Meteor F.8 was about as far as the design could go, given the limitations of straight wings, but the aircraft was adapted into radar-equipped night fighter and reconnaissance versions. The Meteor's accident rates were high--not surprising with an entirely new aircraft--and for the first part of its career, it was something of a pilot killer due to difficulty bailing out of it. Once a reliable ejection seat was developed by Martin-Baker, pilot losses declined considerably. It was an export success as well, with at least 16 air forces flying Meteors at one point.
Meteors would see combat over Korea, where it proved to be an excellent ground attack platform, but at a severe disadvantage against the swept-wing MiG-15. Meteors were used by both sides during the Arab-Israeli Wars, with the better-trained Israelis getting the best of air combat. By the mid-1950s, however, the Meteor was obsolete, and it was gradually withdrawn in favor of the Hawker Hunter and the Gloster Javelin in British service. Testbed Meteors remained in service, and Martin-Baker still uses two aircraft for ejection seat testing as of this writing. 3947 Meteors were built, and as many as a hundred survive in museums, though only five are currently flyable.
Though restored as a Meteor NF.II nightfighter, WF877 was actually a Meteor T.7 trainer. During its time in the RAF, it was used as both a trainer and testbed, being used to develop ejection seat systems for the Folland Gnat. In 1966, it was retired and transferred to Flight Refueling Ltd., which continued to use WF877 as a testbed until 1974, when it was grounded and donated to the Torbay Aircraft Museum. When Torbay closed in 1988, it was acquired by a British warbird company that intended to restore WF877 back to flyable status. This never happened, and in 2003, it was donated to the RAF Museum at Duxford. The aircraft was dismantled and stored in the open, and it steadily deteriorated until 2016, when an American warbird collector acquired WF877. Shipped to the US around 2016, it was acquired by the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2020.
Though I had gotten a picture of WF877 last year in May 2021, inside Pima's restoration hangar, the museum had finished restoration and put it on display in early 2022. I really wanted to see how it had turned out, especially since the museum restored it in Israeli Air Force colors. As expected, the restoration was superb: WF877 is painted in 1950s-era IDF/AF camouflage, with black undersides for night operations, as an aircraft of 119 Squadron, based at Ramat David. (Ironically, 119 Squadron, though it did see service in the Suez War, only scored one kill--an Ilyushin Il-14 transport--and spent most of its time training crews rather than flying combat.) As my dad had planned on building an Israeli Meteor shortly before he passed away, seeing one--even if it never actually served with the Heyl Ha'avir--was quite something.
To see WF877 when it was still being worked on, go here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/51192880431/in/photoli...