Meteor from the Cockpit: Britain’s First Jet Fighter

These first 15 F. They were still powered by Welland I engines. This was a substantial improvement over the earlier mark, although the basic design still had not reached its potential. Wind tunnel and flight tests demonstrated that the original short nacelles , which did not extend far fore and aft of the wing, contributed heavily to compressibility buffeting at high speed. The last batch of Meteor F. Judging the Meteor F. The Squadron Meteor F. The Meteors flew armed reconnaissance and ground attack operations without encountering any German jet fighters.

The war ended with the Meteors having destroyed 46 German aircraft through ground attack. The next-generation Meteor F. Improvements included a strengthened airframe, fully pressurized cockpit , lighter ailerons to improve manoeuvrability, and rudder trim adjustments to reduce snaking. Because of increased demand, F.

Gloster Meteor - Wikipedia

The majority of early F. Nine further RAF squadrons converted from onwards. From , 38 F. In , only two RAF squadrons were converted to the F. In , three more RAF squadrons were upgraded, including No. A modified two-seater F. It was accepted by the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm and became a common addition to the various export packages for example 43 to Belgium between and , a similar number to the Netherlands over the same period, two to Syria in , six to Israel in , etc.

As improved jet fighters emerged, Gloster decided to modernise the F. The result was the definitive production model, the Meteor F. The first prototype F. Gloster solved the problem by substituting the tail of the abortive G 42 single-engined jet fighter. Initial deliveries of the F. Belgium ordered aircraft, the majority assembled in The Netherlands by Fokker.

The Netherlands had F. Denmark had 20, ordered in ; they were to be the last F. Despite arms embargoes, both Syria and Egypt received F.

Brazil ordered 60 new Meteor F. In the s, Meteors were developed into effective photo- reconnaissance , training and night fighter versions. The fighter reconnaissance FR versions were the first to be built, replacing the ageing Spitfires and Mosquitos then in use. On 23 March , the first FR.

Based on the F. Production of the FR. In Aden , No. In , 29 , , 85 and squadrons each received a number of NF. The aircraft equipped No.

The aircraft served during the Suez crisis and remained with No. Several problems were encountered: Belgium 24 , Denmark 20 and France 41 were foreign customers for the NF. In addition to the armed, low altitude operation, tactical FR. All the cannons were removed and a single camera placed in the nose with two more in the rear fuselage; the canopy was also changed. The squadron had personnel from the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces attached to it.

It had arrived in Korea equipped with piston-engined Mustangs. In order to match the threat posed by MiG jet fighters, it was decided to reequip the squadron with Meteors. The squadron moved to Kimpo Air Base in June, and was declared combat ready the following month. On 29 July , 77 Squadron began operating their Meteors on combat missions. The squadron had mainly been trained in the ground attack role , and had difficulties when assigned to bomber escort duty at sub optimum altitudes. On 29 August , eight Meteors were on escort duty in " MiG Alley " when they were engaged by six MiGs; one Meteor was lost and two damaged, and 77 Squadron did not officially destroy any enemy aircraft on this occasion.

About 30 Meteors were lost to enemy action in Korea, the vast majority shot down by anti-aircraft fire while serving in a ground-attack capacity. The RAAF began introducing a domestically produced, Sabre variant powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon , in , which progressively relegated the older Meteor to training and secondary duties. A number of Meteors would be assigned to the reserve Citizen Air Force , while others were configured as pilotless drone aircraft or for target towing. Argentina became the first overseas operator of the Meteor, placing an order for F Mk.

A loyalist Meteor shot down a rebel AT-6 , while another strafed rebel-held Ezeiza airport. The rebels seized three Meteors. The acquisition of North American F Sabres in allowed the remaining Meteors to be transferred to the ground attack role. In this role, the aircraft were refitted with bomb pylons and rocket rails; the bare metal colour scheme was also discarded for a camouflage scheme. Argentine Meteors were used to attack rebels during attempted uprisings in September and April Although Egypt's first order for the Meteor was placed in , the rising tension in the region led to the imposition of a series of arms embargoes.

A further order for 12 ex-RAF F.

• Pen and Sword Books: Meteor from the Cockpit - Hardback;
• Reward Yourself;
• Meteor from the Cockpit: Britain’s First Jet Fighter - Peter Caygill - Google Книги.
• What is Kobo Super Points?.
• Letters and Dispatches 1924-1944: The Man Who Saved Over 100,000 Jews, Centennial Edition.
• !
• ;

Egyptian Meteors participated in the fighting during the Suez Crisis of , typically being used in ground attack missions against Israeli forces. Meteors were the fledgling Syrian Air Force 's first jet aircraft. It would acquire 25 of them between and As Syria became more aligned with Gamal Abdel Nasser 's Egypt, British support for Meteor operations was withdrawn and Syrian pilots began training with their Egyptian counterparts. Lacking radar to track the aircraft, the Syrian Air Force developed a ground spotter network that reported information by telephone in an attempt to intercept these flights.

The French Air Force was keen to acquire jet aircraft as part of its re-equipment program following the Second World War. The Vautour was retired from French Air Force service in Due to tensions between the newly formed nation of Israel and its neighbours, both sides had commenced an arms race which led to jet aircraft being vigorously purchased by various countries in the region. In Israel ordered four T Mk. On 1 September , an Israeli Meteor shot down an Egyptian de Havilland Vampire , the first jet aircraft to be shot down in the theatre.

While initially flying combat air patrol missions, the Meteors and other Israeli aircraft could not prevent effective attacks by Egyptian aircraft on the ground forces. Late in , two F. London-Copenhagen-London, 4—5 April in a production standard F.

Suitably impressed, the Danes later purchased the type. Many Meteor pilots went on to "prove their mettle" by attempting the same feat. Air Service Training Ltd were responsible for the conversion. Although many Meteors survive in museums, collections and on pylons in public spaces, only five remain airworthy. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. List of surviving Gloster Meteors.

Gloster Meteor

Gloster Meteor in fiction. B engine was "rushed into production long before it was ready for such a step". Rather than extensive redesign the wings to strengthen them, the designers shortened them. This reduced stress and improved the roll rate, but increased takeoff and landing speeds and reduced rate of climb and ceiling. He was shot down during the same dogfight and captured by ground forces. During his interrogation, two Soviet pilots told Guthrie, through an interpreter, that he had downed a MiG The Evolution of Modern Aircraft.

When Britain Ruled the Skies. Loop Aviation , June Phoenix over the Nile: Arab-Israeli Air Wars — Gloster Meteor in Israeli Service". Air Enthusiast , Fifty, May to June , pp. Postwar Military Aircraft 2: Butler, Phil and Tony Buttler. Britain's Celebrated First-Generation Jet. Cicalesi, Juan Carlos and Santiago Rivas. Latin America's first jet fighters". The Gloster Meteor in Argentina". Details of the Meteor. Golly, John and Bill Gunston. Warplanes of the Second World War, Vol. Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The tables of Meteors running currently in Aeromilitaria will show how many there were as they include the repairable ones and the rude mechanicals were busy for ten years straightening out a flow of bent airframes.

Fortunately, the Welland and Derwent engines lasted a lot longer than their German equivalents and were exported to power the first US jet fighters. Nostalgia reading for those who lived through this era. Products Authors Categories Series. Latest Releases Coming Soon Blog. A History of Women's Lives. Ancestors in the Armed Forces. Battle of the Bulge.

Great War Chemical Attacks. Home Front in WWI. Italy in the Great War. The Fall of Singapore.

Account Options

The Great War at Sea. Out of Print eBooks. All Aviation Books Available in the following formats: All Maritime Books Available in the following formats: All Modern Warfare Books Available in the following formats: Description Reviews 1 The Meteor is remembered as the first British jet fighter to enter squadron service and the only jet powered Allied fighter to see action in WW II. Available in the following formats: Registered in England No.

Continue Shopping View Basket. Meteor from the Cockpit Kindle