I think Duxfordhawk has a point. Any record attempt is designed to beat previous records and surely nobody’s going to say that Art Arfons, or whoever it was trying at the same time, was delighted that THRUST SSC got there first.

I hope they’ve done as much research as Richard Noble and his team.
When designing Thrust SSC, they discovered that if Richard Noble had gone just a few mph faster in Thrust 2, he/it would have taken off.
Apparently Thrust SSC was capable of going a little faster but they decided any record could be beaten but nobody else could be the first to go supersonic. They beat a dignified retreat while everybody was in one piece.

PII
I don’t deny that the P-80/T-33 was successful, it was but that doesn’t make it iconic.
I guess that Joe Public in the UK has never heard of them.

Likewise the Airacomet, it’s only important to Americans. You could just as easily put the Gloster Whittle, the Heinkel whatever it was, and any one of couple of dozen others that are important to only one country.

I didn’t know the Meteor beat the 262 into service. Both had a marginal impact on the war, I wonder which had more?

I stand by my opinions.

I think, but am not certain, that Gosling was the British name for the Widgeon.
Memories of an Airfix kit in the dim and distant past.

Originally posted by Paul Cushion
Early F104’s had a downward firing ejection seat I believe…

Paul

I assume it’s not zero/zero then.:)

David
Not sure I entirely agree with you there about Concorde.

Both governments thought the other would try to get out of it (which they did) so between them they drew up such a cast-iron contract there was no way out.

There’s a couple in a paddy field off the end of of one of the runways on Singapore. Mid-air collision on finals, apparently, and went in too far to get them out.
Bloke in my local was an RAF engine fitter at the time and saw it happen but I can never remember which station it was.

I have to agree that it’s worthwhile. The Sea Vixen’s been everywhere this year. In previous year(s) with no sponsorship there were many less bookings and a number of no-shows.
To me, wih my obvious bias, it’s been a highlight of the year.
Big, fast and noisy, just what any airshow needs.
Jaguars and Tornadoes don’t count.