A detailed inspection revealed structural cracks in the engine compressor vane. Unfortunately, both inlet ducts collapsed while running the engine on the ground during a final preflight check. The aircraft was ready to fly in 143 days. Someone nicknamed this site the "Skunk Works" after the still that made moonshine, hidden deep in the cartoon backwoods of Al Capp's "Lil' Abner." After Johnson gave management his word, Lockheed promised the AAF that the company could finish the prototype in 180 days. To keep the work secret, Johnson walled off the production area with discarded engine crates and a circus tent. Johnson and a team of designers began work on a prototype, designated the XP-80, on June 21, 1943. Johnson had built his reputation on two highly successful designs, the Lockheed twin-engine Electra and the four-engine Constellation (see NASM collection for examples of both airplanes). Lockheed management gave this important assignment to the company's most capable engineer, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. This time, AAF leaders asked the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to develop the new aircraft. By 1943, mounting combat losses of American strategic bombers to German propeller-driven interceptors and the knowledge that Germany was preparing to field the potent Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter (see NASM collection) encouraged the AAF to push for a new, more capable combat jet. fighter aircraft and it served only as a jet engine test bed and pilot trainer. The XP-59 showed little improvement over contemporary, piston engine-powered U. The United States Army Air Forces (AAF) issued its first contract for the construction of a jet aircraft, the Bell XP-59 (see NASM collection), in September 1941, two years after Germany had flown its first jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178. Germany and Great Britain went to war in 1939 with jet aircraft programs well underway, but the United States took longer to appreciate and develop the new technology. In 1949, the AAF transferred the aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution. These tactics proved effective in fending off Me 262 attacks during the last months of the war and undoubtedly saved the lives of many American bomber crewmen. Based on these findings, AAF planners moved the formations of American fighters protecting the bombers to higher altitudes. The trials showed that enemy jet fighter pilots would much prefer rear aspect attacks. Someone nicknamed this site the "Skunk Works" after the still that made moonshine, hidden deep in the cartoon backwoods of Al Capp's "Lil' Abner." "Lulu-Belle" flew on January 8, 1944, and later starred in a series of exercises conducted to develop tactics that American heavy bomber crews could use against attacks by jet fighters. Lockheed's most capable engineer, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, and a team of designers began work on a prototype, designated the XP-80 but nicknamed "Lulu-Belle," on June 21, 1943. AAF leaders asked the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to develop the aircraft. By 1943, mounting combat losses of American strategic bombers to German propeller-driven interceptors, and the knowledge that Germany was preparing to field the potent Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter (see NASM collection), encouraged the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) to push for a new combat jet. View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage conditions may apply For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. CCO - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions).
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