In 1941, the Chief of the Army Air Forces, General ‘Hap’ Arnold, saw a need for a US-designed jet aircraft. He instructed General Electric to begin developing a gas turbine engine and Bell Aircraft Company to build a plane around that engine. The result was the XP-59A Airacomet; but, it did not have the performance necessary to challenge Germany’s jet fighters. Previously, Lockheed had pursued jet development on its own initiative and was now given the go ahead to build its own jet airplane around a British designed engine, 203 days later, the XP-80 took to the air. The result would meet the USAAF requirements and would eventually become the P-80 Shooting Star. This book traces the development of the Shooting Star with more than 100 photos, colour profiles and detailed line drawings. Davis; 52 pages.
