After World War
II, the AAF's quest for the world's speed
record (then held by a British Gloster
Meteor) brought about the creation of this
specialized airplane, the P-80R. It is a
high-speed variant of the standard P-80A
Shooting Star, with a smaller canopy,
redesigned air intakes and a shorter wing
with an extended leading edge. In addition,
the engine was modified, the armament
removed and replaced by a fuel tank, and all
drag-producing openings sealed. On June 19,
1947, at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards
Air Force Base), Calif., Col. Albert Boyd
flew the P-80R to a new world's speed record
of 623.753 mph, returning the record to the
United States after nearly 24 years.
The P-80R is a
descendant of the original Shooting Star,
the XP-80, which in 1943 was designed and
built in only 143 days by a special team
headed by Lockheed's Chief Research
Engineer, Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson. First
flown on Jan. 8, 1944, the XP-80 was the
first American airplane to sustain speeds in
excess of 500 mph in level flight. Although
WWII ended before any P-80s reached combat,
the Shooting Star became the first American
jet to enter large-scale production.
The P-80R on
display is the only one built. It was
shipped to the museum from Griffiss Air
Force Base, N.Y., in October 1954.
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