The First US Jet Takes To The Sky 

Oct. 1, 1942 Germany and Great Britain pioneered the development of jet powered aircraft early in WWII, but such aircraft appeared too late to have any significant effect on the outcome of the war. On Oct. 1, 1942, the first U.S. jet propelled aircraft, the super-secret Bell XP-59A, took to the air for the first time at a remote site in the Mohave Desert of California.

Later testing revealed that the aircraft's performance capabilities were insufficient for combat, but P-59s did provide familiarization training for AAF pilots and valuable data for the development of higher performance jet aircraft.