Public domain
Bell XP–59A Airacomet in the Altitude Wind Tunnel
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The secret test of the Bell YP–59A Airacomet in the spring of 1944 was the first investigation in the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory’s new Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT). The Airacomet, powered by two General Electric I–A centrifugal turbojets, was the first US jet aircraft. The Airacomet’s 290-miles per hour speed, however, was dwarfed by the German Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe’s 540 miles per hour.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineBell XP–59A Airacomet in the Altitude Wind Tunnel. NASA/GRC, 1944-03-23. Public domain. ID: GRC-1944-C-04314.
