The airspace over North Base was restricted, and pilots training at South Base were told never to approach it. Being human, they sometimes tried to sneak a peek. In mid-June 1943, Lt. Royal D. Frey was flying near North Base when he saw a plane take off. It was silhouetted against the lake bed, and he noticed the shadow of a smoke trail from the aircraft. A few minutes later, the plane passed his P-38 in a steep rolling climb. During the brief
"sighting," he saw it had no propeller. When he landed, Frey told the other student pilots but was disbelieved. After all, an airplane could not fly without a propeller.
Frey was more fortunate than another group of Muroc pilots. They were flying in formation when an XP-59 pulled up alongside. Their shock at seeing an airplane flying without a propeller was considerable. A bigger shock came when they saw the pilot was a gorilla wearing a black derby hat and waving a cigar! It was Jack Woolams in a Halloween mask and the Bell trademark hat. The "pilot" then tipped his hat and peeled off. It is reported that throttles were bent and vows of abstinence taken by several pilots in that fall of 1943."
But sometimes the secrecy of a Black airplane asked a great deal. On September 24, 1943, Woolams was flying a photo mission with another airplane. After they took off, a sandstorm swept in, covering North Base with a blanket of blowing dust. The chase plane flew on to Burbank for a landing. Woolams did not have that option — he had to land at North Base.
Whatever the circumstances, the XP-59A could not be seen. Woolams made a risky instrument landing in the midst of the storm.[18]
It was not until January 6, 1944, that the existence of the P-59 program was revealed. The joint U.S. Army Air Forces-Royal Air Force announcement gave a brief history of jet propulsion and limited details such as the date of the first flight. It did not say where the test flights were made, the name of the aircraft, or did it include a picture. This set the pattern for later announcements.
The lack of official information did not stop the press from speculating, however. Typical quotes included, "Speed of the plane was placed at between 500 and 600 mph," and "Its top speed has been estimated by ground observers to exceed 500 mph." This, too, would become typical of later Dark Eagles.
In February 1944, operational tests were conducted at Muroc by army air forces test pilots to determine the production YP-59's tactical suitability.
Three YP-59As with the more powerful I-16 engines were used. The results were disappointing — in mock dogfights with P-47Ds and P-38Js, the YP-59As were outclassed in both performance and maneuverability. The P-47s and P-38s could break off combat at will by either diving away or going into a full-power climb.
As the suitability tests were being conducted, Bell's North Base operations were being brought to an end. The final days were spent giving rides to Bell mechanics in the observer's cockpit of the first XP-59A. By February 18, 1944, the aircraft and equipment were turned over to the army air forces. On February 27, Bell flight operations at North Base were formally closed. The three XP-59As and six YP-59As had put in 242 hours and 30 minutes of flight time without a mishap.
The shortcomings of the P-59 were reinforced in April 1944 when a YP-59A underwent gunnery tests. Using its three.50-caliber machine guns, the plane made firing runs at speeds between 220 and 340 mph. The tests showed poor directional stability at speeds above 290 mph. The army air forces concluded"… it is not believed that the P-59 airplane is operationally or tactically suited for combat nor is it believed that any modification to this aircraft, short of a completely new design, would improve its combat suitability…"
It was still felt the P-59A had a useful role:
… although the aircraft is not suitable for combat, there is a requirement for a limited number of subject aircraft to be utilized for jet training and for general Air Force familiarization. The Army Air Forces Board is further of the opinion that use of jet propelled aircraft will become widespread in the immediate future and that the P-59
… is an excellent aircraft for purposes of conducting research on jet power plants and pressure cabins. The P-59 will also make an excellent training ship in that its low wing-loading makes the airplane very safe for transition flying and the fact that it has two engines is an added safety factor.
Due to its planned role as a jet trainer, only limited P-59 production was undertaken. The operational aircraft incorporated a number of modifications first tested on the YP-59As. The wing tips and rudder were reduced in size to improve maneuverability, and a vertical fin was added to improve spin recovery. The aft fuselage was strengthened, metal flaps and ailerons replaced the original fabric-covered ones, and the main landing gear was modified. After twenty P-59As were delivered, fuel tanks were added to the outer wings. These final thirty aircraft were redesignated P-59Bs. Most of the aircraft were operated by the 412th Fighter Group. In July 1946, less than a year after the last P-59 was delivered, they were retired. One YP-59A and three P-59As were also provided to the U.S. Navy. They were operated for several years in a test role, introducing that service to the jet age.[19]
The Bell P-59 Airacomet was a ground-breaking aircraft in many ways.
For American aviation, it ushered in the jet age and a half-century dominance of both military and civilian aerospace technology. Although unsuccessful as a fighter, the P-59 provided valuable experience. It underlined the kind of change jet engines brought to aviation. Although its propulsion was revolutionary, the P-59 was limited by outmoded aerodynamics. With its broad, straight wings and teardrop-shaped fuselage, the P-59 was very much a late-1930's design. The fake prop did not look at all out of place. Its top speed was limited to 389 mph at 35,000 feet — inferior to that of prop fighters.
In contrast, the German Me 262, with sweep wings and more refined aerodynamics, had a top speed of 580 mph. Clearly, it was not enough to simply stick jet engines on a propeller-driven airplane. (One early XP-59A design was a P-39 with two jet engines hung under the wings.) The revolutionary engines had to be matched with an equally revolutionary airframe.
Bell and the XP-59A created the modern concept of the Black airplane.
All the elements — the secret task, small design group, tight schedule, separate facilities, and the isolated test site — were present. Yet the plane marked the decline of Bell's role in fixed-wing aviation. The formal end came with another Black airplane, also unsuccessful. The heritage of the first Dark Eagle would be carried by another company, and at another place.
On January 8, 1944, the Lockheed XP-80 Shooting StarJet fighter made its first flight at Muroc. At the controls was Milo Burcham. The plane soon proved capable of reaching over 500 mph. Tex Johnston knew what it meant for the P-59. After seeing the first flight, he telegraphed Bob Stanley: "Witnessed Lockheed XP-80 initial flight STOP Very impressive STOP Back to the drawing board."[20] Later, a mock dogfight was held between a P-80 and a Grumman F8F Bearcat, the navy's latest prop fighter. Unlike the YP-59A, the P-80 held the initiative, controlling the fight. The F8F was never able to catch the jet in its sights long enough to get a shot. The era of the prop fighter was over.[21]
The XP-80 contract specified that the prototype was to be delivered in 180 days. Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Lockheed's chief designer, went to company chairman Robert Gross. Gross told Johnson, "Go ahead and do it.
But you've got to rake up your own engineering department and your own production people and figure out where to put this project."
20
Young, "Turbojet," 259. An aspect of jet flight that prop pilots had to get used to was the slow throttle response of jet engines. It took much longer for the turbine to spin up compared to a piston engine. On the positive side, the jet pilot did not have to deal with prop pitch, mixture, mani-fold pressure, and the roar and vibration of a propeller airplane.
21
Richard P. Hallion,