P-80 Shooting Star - America's WW2 Combat Jet

The story of the P-80 Shooting Star, the only US jet to see action in WW2 during a secret operation in Italy.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Photos licensed under Wikimedia Creative Commons: Ian Dunster; Alejandro Pena; Arjun Sarup
Thumbnail: Airwar.ru

[@SirHenryMaximo]

I'm often amazed by the fact that WWII saw both canvas biplanes and jet fighters on the air.

[@alxgrhrd141]

In the same way the WW1 saw both horseback cavalry charges and tanks and aircraft. War makes innovation look easy

[@johnbarnes2886]

So did Korea; the North Koreans were still using the old Polikarpov Po-2s for night nuisance raids (commonly known to US Troops as Bed Check Charlie), right up to the armistice. World War 2 also saw a few horseback charges, mainly in Poland and in China, and the first TV-guided drones and first weapons to definitively cross the 62-mile line into space. (There are arguments about whether WW1's Paris Gun did or didn't get quite that high, but the V2 sure did). And the early phases of the US war against the Taliban in 2002 saw horse-mounted US Special Forces calling in airstrikes via satellite.)

[@Snobiker13]

@Marco D'Magnifico Wise decision, because the reconnaissance UAVs were often followed by air strikes.

[@hughculliton3174]

LOL - and the Vampire had almost as much wood in it as a Mossie!

[@MrAndyBearJr]

@Marco D'Magnifico They surrendered to the model planes because they knew what their appearance foreshadowed. One Iraqi armour unit commander was asked why he surrendered without a fight. His answer was "the damn B-52's". When it was stated that his unit had not been attacked by the bombers, his answer was "Yes I know that, but I saw one that had been".

[@charlessaint7926]

History Channel: We got Pawn Stars and Ice Road Truckers! Everyone else: We got Dr. Mark Felton.

[@brinsonharris9816]

Don’t forget Ancient Aliens!

[@Mis-AdventureCH]

True that. Can't remember the last time I watched the Hist Channel.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

History and Discovery channels are huge disappointments.

[@maxkronader5225]

The last time I watched the History Channel it was actually a channel and it actually ran programs about history. That shows how long it's been since I watched the History Channel.😋

[@joespeciale5875]

What would have happened if the P80 Shooting Star had encountered the ME262? It probably would’ve crashed.. For one thing, the Americans had not yet adopted they swept mine concept that the Germans had figured out in their wind tunnel research. This was one theory proposed as to the instability of the P80 at its top speed.

[@elrobo3568]

I was a crew chief in the USAF in the 60's and worked on the P-80 and AT-33, the AT-33 was a T-33 with guns and bomb racks. I laughed every year when we had to do a "termite inspection" yearly as the floor of the jet was wooden. During Viet Nam the AF decided to try to convert an AT-33 to carry a Vulcan 20 MM gun pod for close ground support. We modified it to mount a gun pod on the centerline rack and took it to the borescope gun range where we jacked it and retracted the nose gear. We had to pump the gear struts up to give clearance. The gun fired great. The jet flew on a test flight to Gila Bend Az. range to test the gun. The acft came back on an emergency and it was parked by me and the canopy was still down. I had to open the canopy and saw that the pilot was very upset, he told me that when he hit the gun the recoil from the gun almost stopped the jet in flight. He said some other things but I can't put them here. Oh well we tried.

[@galenhaugh3158]

The recoil on the GAU in the A-10 is almot equal to the thrust of its engines.

[@elrobo3568]

@@galenhaugh3158 Yeah, we were crew chiefs on F-4 fighters that used the same gun and we knew that there would be problems but the "expert" engineers that were from the USAF thought different. The engineers usually don't listen to lowly mechanics so I learned through my career in the AF. We were told to take the gun off. One of the guys drew a cartoon of a T-33 with a Hound dog missile (from a B-52) on the centerline. We were told to not do that anymore by the commander although he was smiling.

[@nickl9451]

@@galenhaugh3158 I believe they fixed this on the A10 by inserting inert cartridges every so many rounds

[@derekadair7522]

This sounds hilarious and really cool at the same time, do you have any pictures?

[@elrobo3568]

@@derekadair7522 No, we weren't allowed to take pictures on the flight line, the F-4's were secret and the U-2's were top secret. The T-33's were right next to them. I do think that that flight is embedded in that pilots memory for ever, I wish I had a picture of him when I opened the canopy.

[@subterfusion4005]

My dad had 8 hrs in the T33 before he washed out of flight school. One of the high points of his life. On his deathbed, flying on synthetic morphine, he described to me a waking dream....turning in formation in the T33, high above Lackland air base. I salute you, Pop.

[@Vuk_Stajic]

Crazy how your videos feel more like a full production rather than just a YT vid. Thanks for your amazing work!

[@MineNSleep]

Ikr its amazing its better then multi billion channels such as the history channel which keeps repeating them selfs to extend time

[@davidwilliams5749]

Because they are PACKED with interesting content, instead of lingering on fancy-yet-repetitive graphics, boring re-caps and endless commercials.

[@Vuk_Stajic]

@@davidwilliams5749 agreed, and also I feel that it's really unique stories and new fresh untold stories from different perspectives. With the same staccato delivery from Mark.

[@TheBlayton]

It’s called “MARK FELTON PRODUCTION” for a reason!! @vuk stAjic!! MARK IS THE MAN!! Always wonderful content!

[@Vuk_Stajic]

@Derek Davis Yes aware of this, that's exactly where my comment came from. That he alone carries that full production value into his YT vids.

[@UnclePutte]

The all-too familiar story of early jets: lost in a crash, lost in a crash, lost in a crash, lost in an accident, lost in a crash...

[@letoubib21]

May I remind you of the DC-10?

[@TheWolfsnack]

.....used as target drones...

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

@@letoubib21 & 737Max ;) Must say I have a huge amount of respect for the fellows who tested these primitive jets. Them and WW1 pilots.

[@marrs1013]

Development pre-computer simulation era. Everything was developed this way. We just don't care about it. Price of progress, I guess...

[@wyominghorseman9172]

The same was true for most early advanced propeller aircraft of the war. Some were exceptional right out of the starting gate and some had teething problems.

[@stevesullivan9752]

From my readings... after the war both of the inventors of the jet engine met, German and British. They shared information with each other and were amazed to find out they both reached the same conclusion via different design routes. One of those rare times in history where simultaneous inventions take place with neither person aware of the others work. They became close friends, working together on projects well into their latter years.

[@johnp8131]

Nearly but not quite? Post war, Von Ohain later admitted that he was aware of Whittle's work and had studied his patent. Although he had already started on his own path by the time he saw them. I believe Eric Brown also mentions this in one of his interviews as he obviously knew Whittle.

[@pfa2000]

And then we gave the engine to the Soviets and the US nicked it. British desperation and naivety in the late war and post war 😞

[@Hectopath2006]

Random fact: Mark's grandfather was a British soldier who fought in the Burma front of WWII. He said so himself in a community post a little while back. Just something for new viewers that I thought you'd find interesting. :)

[@aldousfoxly]

The VJ day post I see says it was his grandfather. (Unless there are multiple posts)

[@coolmarkyt]

He must have gone through some tough times. My dad was conscripted in 1944 and was sent for jungle training - he was going to be dispatched to Burma and he said he was absolutely terrified. Luckily he was re-assigned to a fuel supply team, worked on fuel supply projects for the Normandy landings and was eventually posted to Greece

[@flybobbie1449]

Many grandfathers probably fought, mine WW1 and WW2. I would have loved now to talk to him about his experiences, but most i remember him, hands on face , elbows on knees staring at the floor. I wonder what he was thinking. This was back in 70's. I'm now 60, i think more of the past than the present.

[@DaiElsan]

So did my father. What he experienced affected him for the rest if his life.

[@markhammar3977]

Ty

[@jedimindtrix2142]

Crazy they flew till 1997 in active service. Trainer or not that's a hugely impressive lifespan.

[@CB-mn4lf]

I can hear the B=52 now: "Am I a joke to you?!"

[@uzivatel56]

@@CB-mn4lf This is not a competition. We can appreciate all the aircraft without putting any down. And for a fighter jet this IS impressive.

[@bernardedwards8461]

What about the B 52?

[@82luft49]

@Suðringa o Impressive comment, it got me thinking.

[@FrostySire]

I think there was a meteor that was used to test ejection seats and only was retired recently

[@studuerson2548]

For myself, and many others, a T-33 ride was our first time in a jet cockpit. What a memory. A classmate of mine once hit the wrong switch on that ride, and kicked off the wing tanks over Tinker AFB.

[@deuscaffeum526]

My father and his crew assembled these 2 shooting stars in Italy. He said they were amazing. He never mentioned anything about a shoot down mission.

[@garandbear2712]

It's a shame that America's highest scoring ace of all time, Richard Bong, died test piloting a P-80 on August 6th, 1945.

[@khertler]

His crash site is about a mile from my home in Burbank. As it turns out, this is not a "fun fact" to bring up at parties.

[@kennethclaar922]

Sad deal

[@garandbear2712]

@Derek Davis Huh?

[@garandbear2712]

Heh!!

[@garandbear2712]

@Derek Davis right! How many pics of his P38 I've seen. I should have remembered.

[@budwyzer77]

RIP Dick Bong. America's Ace of Aces with the greatest name ever bestowed on a human being.

[@americantacos7618]

A legendary name for a legendary man.

[@apenza4304]

@Prison Planet Earth He was the highest scoring WW2 ace who flew P-38’s and became a test pilot after the war who died while flying the p-80.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Major Richard Bong if you please....

[@TheOfficial007]

@@apenza4304 i believe he died before the war ended in his accident?

[@letoubib21]

@@apenza4304 He died shortly *before* V-J Day *. . .*

[@michae8jackson378]

My dad was an Air Force fighter pilot. He was an instructor pilot for a time in the T-33. In fact, the picture shown is my dad getting into his T-33 as a Capt/Instructor in Texas where my mom met him. Miss you dad! He served over 30 years. Starting on the F-86, F-102 and 106, Forward Air Controller in Vietnam in OV-10s, 10 years in SAC flying B-52s and KC-135s, then back to OV-10s in Germany. Finishing with the B-1 Bombers in Kansas before retiring.

[@SearchEast2069]

P80 with the wing tanks is straight ICONIC

[@williamm374]

The best reference to jets in history is Chuck Yeager. "The first time I saw a jet, I shot it down."

[@hugejohnson5011]

Chuck Yeager was a badass! Not scared by going fast either!

[@stevepirie8130]

May he rest in peace

[@Spectre407]

And Chuck Yeager said, “Bud Anderson is the best fighter pilot I’ve ever seen.”

[@xillerrz7328]

Also said PAF has best pilots

[@schreinerschmid]

A german FW190 Pilot: The first time I saw Chuck Yeager, I shot him down

[@W1se0ldg33zer]

My local college rescued one from the shredder. Restored it, flew it around for a few years then put it on display out front of the local airport. They did a great job on it. There's still quite a lot of them in private hands that are air worthy.

[@johnspencer7291]

we have one here in front of b.g.s.u. airport here in bowling green ohio,been there for decades

[@gordonbergslien30]

Lots of T-33's are still airworthy but, sadly, no P/F-80's.

[@longtimepittsowner5589]

As a pilot I once met an old man on the golf course in Brunswick GA. He said he was a pilot too . He said he was the LSO on the USS Langly. He also said his last assignments were to fly the P-80 at the airport In Brunswick. He said it was a Navy airstrip during the war. He looked pretty old but…while we spoke he came alive …and appeared grow “younger “ the more we spoke of his fighter pilot days.

[@jaydee3046]

I got a look at the manual for a P-80 once. One of the illustrations in it was an artist conception of p-80s defending B-29s from zeros.

[@alecfoster5542]

Cool! :)

[@lonzo61]

Yeager commented in his book that the ME262 and P80 had very similar flight characteristics. However, I should add that I read his book back when it was published in the mid-1980s. I don't trust my memory, but this was one of the things I most recall about his book.

[@dougc190]

I inherited the book just recently so I'm going to have to go back and read it now to confirm

[@vividvulpe9842]

Thanks for Featuring my great uncle Frank Whittle! Woohoo!! His legacy lives on in my family with careers in AeroSpace and hobby of building and flying planes. (I also just got the new Microsoft Flight Sim). Keep up the great videos, Mark!

[@raypurchase801]

You're from an illustrious line. Make sure your kids and grand kids learn all about him.

[@jerribee1]

I read a book, a few years ago, about his invention and development of the jet engine, and I must say that it certainly didn't seem like he was given very much help to start with, whereas the Germans saw its potential and invested in research quite early on.

[@raypurchase801]

@@jerribee1 FUN FACT: Ohain, the inventor of the German jet engine, read Whittle's patents and copied them. Whilst Whittle was begging for funding, Ohain received generous state funding before the war. Then the funding was reduced because Hitler believed the war would be over and won before the jet engine would enter service. The Whittle design was superior to the German imitation.

[@DestryAlecto]

In modern jet flight, we owe everything to the genius of Frank Whittle. It cannot be overstated.

[@raypurchase801]

@@DestryAlecto Agreed.

[@hansgruber650]

I know they did combat with monsters and aliens in the 50's sci-fi flicks.

[@letoubib21]

And decorated with Red Stars against Sabres in "Jet Pilot" *. . . ;-)*

[@Mondo762]

Yes, they starred against Godzilla in the early days.

[@victorbonilla4634]

@@Mondo762 got in a couple of hits in the first Godzilla. Made Godzilla call it a night..👺✈️😂

[@victorbonilla4634]

@@madisntit6547 Yippee Ki Yay...👍😂

[@brinsonharris9816]

@@letoubib21 You probably already know, but Howard Hughes spent so much time editing and re-editing the flying scenes (7 years), the planes were obsolete by the time he was finished and the movie was released.

[@Mr1963corvette]

The P-80 Shooting Star was a great jet in its day. The F-94 Starfire was developed from the T-33 and the F-80 Shooting Star. Lockheed has built great aircraft since its inception from the beautiful P-38 Lightenings of WW2 to the current day F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. My late father flew the P-80, the T-33, the F-94 and the F-104 in his career in the Air Corps and the U.S.A.F.

[@kalaharimine]

Don't forget one of the best jet out of WW2, the D.H. Vampire which first flew in Sept 1943 and were in production before the end of the war. By the way it had the engine within the fuselage.

[@legiox3719]

Amazing how quickly humans went from piston engines to jets.

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

Wartime is an efficient driver of innovation.

[@legiox3719]

@@alejandrayalanbowman367 oh I know. Still amazing to see. Just like how USA went to the moon from scratch in 10 years

[@yourstruly4817]

Imo it's especially amazing how fast aviation evolved during WW1. Plane designs often were obsolete after only a few weeks.

[@noticing_patterns]

@@legiox3719 that's what they want you to think. The Nazis where on the moon first we stole their technology.

[@morbidlyobese2944]

Went from Sopwith Camel to Saturn V in 51 years

[@crstothard]

They would have flown past each other very quickly.... greetings from NYC!

[@paulsawczyc5019]

And given each other a thumbs up.

[@billyc9707]

I'm so glad I found this channel. I have been fascinated by ww2 since I was a boy and my grandfather would tell me about battles. I have never watched any documentaries with a better narrator. Mark is a natural and I've watched thousands of documentaries. Thank you so much Dr. Felton

[@jamesburnett7085]

Mark Felton is much, much more than a narrator, but yes, he is a wonderful narrator. He is also a very highly respected author. I love his writing style.

[@edwardd9702]

During the Korean war, Australian pilots flying the Gloster Meteor F8 against the superior MIG15 had a song; 'all I want for Christmas is my wing swept back'.

[@MrCenturion13]

Not likely. That song is from "The Music Man", which did not appear on stage until 1957.

[@nostraanus]

I found all kinds of sources for this and it's most likely based on a rhyme from Dickens 'a tale of two cities' Thanks for sharing, mate. 👍🏻

[@edwardd9702]

Seems pretty obvious to me. A boozer rewording of the children's song 'All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.' Cant imagine Dickens or some stage musical years after the war ended had anything to do with it?

[@nostraanus]

@@edwardd9702 yeah, you're absolutely right. Cheers mate!

[@stephenvoss6092]

@@edwardd9702 The song was originally recorded by spike jones in 1947.

[@vangestelwijnen]

I've seen my share of T-33's until the 1990's. They looked and flew wonderfully. That proves the success of the design. Thanks for yet another excellent upload, Mark.

[@robbwatson2088]

I grew up with T33's flying overhead in Nova Scotia. Such a pretty aircraft.

[@ericripley9739]

Had one of these on a concrete pedestal at the decommissioned CFB Cornwallis, but was removed a few years ago. Not sure where it went.

[@nahkoratan9673]

I'm getting tears for you Dr. Felton. You now reached the million mark. A feat that is so hard to achieve to history based channels on KZbin. Also, I'm so proud to say that I am one of the early subscriber of your Channel ever since you reached 10k subscribers. It's a privilege to listen to a history geek like you to a now a graduate of BA in History like me.

[@Larpy1933]

Thanks again. The relevant historical film footage is very welcome. Even more so: your superb research and presentation.

[@avnostlga]

My father flew P-80's in the Korean War. Always been a favorite of mine.

[@Jack-kq3ty]

@A D I love them too but I wouldn't like to be in a crash in a old car.

[@AllUpOns]

@@Jack-kq3ty Or in a jet, for that matter.

[@carlambroson8872]

Your ability to uncover little known facts about historical military events never ceases to amaze Dr. Felton!

[@RoyRogerer]

I don't understand how Mark is plopping out so many quality videos on steady short period. I assume there is a few people working together, but the amount of research being done in such a speed is incredible.

[@laurikotivuori1585]

There's a big chance there's only one person doing it. A lot of this information can be found from the internet if you really look for it, and assuming he makes his living from this he would have the time for research. Getting the ideas for relevant/interesting video topics is the hardest part

[@dat2ra]

Fast as a 262!

[@Rich_828]

I remember watching Mark Felton's WW2 documentaries on Saturday and Sunday mornings when I was like 6 or 7 and it's so cool to find him after all these years still pumping out the same content on KZbin, I'm 25 now, it's really cool to have grown up with your stuff. You're right up there with R Lee Ermey when it comes to WW2 content. God Rest that man's soul. Thank you for being so passionate Mark Felton.

[@2TomDog]

The Canadian training version the CT-133 Silver Star was retired in 2005. There is still two that flies out of London Ontario.

[@eskimobuddha1830]

LOL! Now, that's embarrassing... Tom, thought you wouldn't tell anybody.

[@pauld6967]

@Tom L Don't listen to Eskimo Buddha. That's not embarrassing, that kind of longevity is a testimonial to good old American workmanship (the quality if which we foolishly allowed to slack off and become "planned obsolescence" in the decades that followed) and your Canadian ground crew's ability to keep it in good repair.

[@mackfisher4487]

I hope that the caretaker of the still operational CT-133 passes it on to a group that can keep it in the air for the next millennium.

[@Allan_son]

@@pauld6967 Except that we used British engines and built the airframes ourselves. That said it was a US design and probably a lot of critical subcomponents would have come from the US. Unfortunately the Canadian air force mechanics have had excessive experience keeping veteran aircraft serviceable. In this case, if you build 600 of something you can scavenge parts for a long time before you get down to the last couple of dozen.

[@pauld6967]

@@Allan_son Ah, built under license then? I admit, I had not considered that. 🙂

[@nunyabeeswax3936]

As a child I played with a shooting star in the back seat of a car during a vacation drive to Fla.

[@Shadowhunterbg]

How many times did it crash?

[@danielgoodson703]

Same. Rear facing seat of a 70s olds station wagon. Shooting Stars were penciled all over notebooks when bored in school.

[@misterjag]

I had a B-58 Hustler.

[@Prestone44]

As a child I played with a light blue plastic Shooting star. At the age of < 5 I didnt know about jet engines so I supposed the nose cone belonged to a propeller so I flew it with the noise brrrr... brrr.... brrrrr...

[@jamesmcpeak661]

As a boy I built a plastic model and hung it from my bedroom ceiling with some others. Later, I flew military for thirty years all in Army helicopters.

[@a18i92k]

I could listen to you for days. Such a informative great docu story telling voice of the highest caliber.

[@Sebastien824]

Thank you very much, Mark, for your inspiring videos and stories. I read a lot about WW2, but you add significant knowledge, for which I am grateful! Best regards from the Netherlands!

[@tarikwildman]

Extraordinary and beautiful aircraft in the "Art Deco" style. To think this (from memory) went from scratch to first flight in about 145 days. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his "Skunk Works" (a curtained off area where none but the small crew of engineers and fabricators could go into) from the " Lil Abner" Comic Strip of the era, is to me one of the most romantic stories of Aircraft design of WWII. 6,000 miles away from the combat zone, in sunny California, these men and women designed another of the line that stretched back via Altair, Electra, Hudson, P38 and Constellation, and would go onward to Starfigher, U2, and Galaxy, And the generosity De Havilland showed, in removing and shipping out the second Goblin taken from the Vampire, after Lockheed had run the P80 up against advice and sucked the thin intake ducts in to the engine, destroying it, shows that for the USA and the UK "Blood is thicker than Water". This a wonderful story about a beautiful aircraft. Thanks for the Video.

[@handlesarefeckinstupid]

It was an exciting time for jets.

[@JamesThomas-gg6il]

Sr71? Yf12a?

[@edgarcook9607]

I'm not seeing 1930s Art Deco in the P-80. Whatchoo bin smokin'?

[@tarikwildman]

@@edgarcook9607 The general shape, if you will. Like one of those streamlined trains.

[@markwood599]

My girlfriend hears Felton theme: "I feel like Mark Felton is the third person in our relationship". Me: 😃

[@rjs1jd]

My girlfriend too u listen more to mark Felton than me! We have argued about this many times! So yeah we're ALL together at most of time BTW my gf is like this 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😵😡😠😤😤 but me I'm like this 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😁😁😁😁😁😄😃😀😇😇😇👍 To mark Felton 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@markwood599]

@@rjs1jd I didn't think I'd be the only one 😂😂😂

[@markorandelovic]

@@markwood599 hahaahha same

[@johnnieireland2057]

What are you suggesting lol

[@sniper59jl]

You make my day... i'm still laughing..!!!😂😂

[@jerrycallison6125]

Thank you, sir. A part of this I had read, but you, as usual, filled in some vital holes nicely.

[@MikeSiemens88]

Thank you for this. A testament to the brilliant engineers & technicians of the Lockheed Skunk Works. As a tech in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War, I had the privilege of working on the successor of the P-80, the 2 seat CT-133 Silver Star. This aircraft certainly deserves a follow up video, hint, hint. The Canadian T-33 was built under license by Canadair in Montreal & was fitted with the more powerful Rolls Royce Nene 10 powerplant vs the US Allison powered version. Some were supplied to Bolivia, France, Greece, Turkey & Portugal. A number of civilian registered CT-133's fly to this day. Boeing recently retired 2 Canadair CT-133 aircraft used as chase planes. They rate right up there in longevity & robustness with the venerable Douglas DC-3, even though roles & design differ, fighter/trainer vs cargo/passenger.

[@jimvonbaden1]

I worked as an Avionics Technician on the T-33 from 1982-1988 at Tyndall AFB. I have many back seat hours on this fun plane. It was a very good trainer. Two of them are at the Air and Space Museums in DC and Virginia, and I worked on both of them back in the day.

[@fredv7487]

To cool we where there at the same time. Good old 95 AMU. Loaded ECM pods and run and taxi for engine shop. To bad he didn't show one short stacked. Go Bone Heads.

[@Crazyuncle1]

The P80 had such a clean and aerodynamic design. Arguably the best looking of the WWII jets.

[@scriptsmith4081]

Really was. They had a wingless fuselage on display at Sun and Fun in Florida you could sit in, and it was amazing how narrow the frontal profile was

[@michaelmurphy6869]

As always Mark amazing work!! I personally have learned more from your videos then I ever had in history books and other sources!! Thank you!! You just continue to enlighten myself and others with such incredible detail!

[@SymeonPhronema]

This channel has top notch content. You're a proper modern day History Channel! You earned a subscriber!

[@QUADFLY]

Just made my Friday night. Thanks professor.

[@NickRatnieks]

Martin Baker still has a Meteor in service to test ejection seats- a type that first flew in WW2 as described in this video.

[@plflaherty1]

Ive been reading WW2 history for 30 years and Mark you keep telling me things Ive never heard of. TY Sir!

[@manjitsoni9676]

ਬਹੁਤ ਵਧੀਆ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਦਸੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਪੁਰੀ ਘੈਂਟ ਵੀਡੀਓ ਆ ਜੀ ਕੁਝ ਦੁਖਦਾਈ ਪਲ ਵੀ ਸਨ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਮ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋਏ ਯੋਧਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀਰੇ

[@martintramil8084]

Always Quality on this Channel, Cheers!

[@msgfrmdaactionman3000]

Great history thanks for the video! @3:18, the jet's name was "Lulu-Belle" that was the name of Bogart's tank in the film Sahara!

[@Bigfoot1955]

I saw this movie as a kid in the 60s but couldn't remember the title. Thanks. Now I can look it up for a rewatch.

[@sprayhawk808]

Thank you for this episode. The Shooting Star is close to my family. My great uncle flew a P-80 with the Acrojets after WWII and my dad spent a good deal of time in the back seat of the T-33 while with the 48th FIS in Langley in the late 60's.

[@whydoyougottahavthis]

Only jet I ever flew was the T trainer he mentioned, it was so low powered but smooth and beautifully aerodynamic, probably the easiest thing I've ever flown, a twin engine prop is more tedious than it was, a real treat

[@8076A]

The second I hear "Lockheed" I'm like "Ah, understandable" because they almost always go beyond expectations, and budget lol

[@crxdelsolsir]

Lockheed (and others of interest) will be owned by China soon or at the very least infiltrated to get "eyes" on any developments. China has been conquering by acquisition rather than war. It is more cost effective and less detectable. General Electric second largest arm the GE Appliances is now Chinese owned. The next home appliance you buy is not only made in China but the brand itself is Chinese owned. Because you paid for it you are also funding Chinese interest.

[@BGraves]

Probably not easy to budget when you are creating the most innovative aircraft for 50 years straight

[@doch.8039]

@@crxdelsolsir let me check who asked about China... nobody??? Shocker

[@yufka3247]

Bear Grylls The P-80 the most innovative aircraft?

[@martentrudeau6948]

​@@crxdelsolsir ~ One world communism/fascist government through corporations, including incorporated government. All countries are in debt to global banking system. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 Communist China is financed by the bankers and owned by the bankers. Corporations have owners, businesses and government serve their corporate owners.

[@justanotherviewer52]

Thanks Mark. With some stick time in the T-33, this brings back memories.

[@fnln3181]

Another outstanding session by our favorite professor from the University of Felton. Thanks, Doctor!

[@manuelespanol4560]

The history of the first jets is very interesting. Spain took a great leap forward when it received the P80 and F86. Thank you for your work.

[@AleRees]

Congratulations on reaching 1M!

[@victorbonilla4634]

1M+

[@Jangocat]

Interesting video. I've been a military history buff since high school, and I'm in my 50's. I've seen hundreds of TV and internet documentaries. I've never seen this subject touched. You are 100% correct about most people thinking the Germans were the only ones who had jets in WW2. I myself have always thought the allies didn't develop them until after the war, from seized German jet technology. And if I didn't know this I'm certain the average person doesn't either. Great content, liked and subbed!

[@desijrichert]

NOBODY ACTUALLY FLEW Jets in WWII, They were basically shake-down flights. In my opinion you gotsta have an actual Squadron of Jets to convince anybody you were actually using them. And actually fight with them.

[@walterseaman2556]

Now, let's be serious...We can't really talk about American jets becoming involved in combat in WW2, as there were no more than 4 of them or so deployed...! As the Brit Gloster Meteor, all the "action" they saw was chasing the slow V-1 bombs as they approached England... Besides, the Meteor was no match for the 262.

[@paimonpress6760]

'I myself have always thought the allies didn't develop them until after the war, from seized German jet technology' How to say you're American without saying you're American

[@paimonpress6760]

@@desijrichert Hundreds of German jets flew dozens of combat missions destroying so many American bombers that the USAAF considered stopping day bombing, but keep spouting those hot opinions

[@charlesentrekin140]

@@paimonpress6760 sorry my friend but a Canadian friend of mine was also under the impression that there were no Allied World War 2 Jets.

[@MrThematrixhasyou2]

Love your work Mark, keep it up . Thank you!

[@weeliano]

A well deserved 1 million subscribers for probably the best WW2 history content on KZbin! Your fan from Singapore! Excellent episode Dr. Felton! Would love to see a series on the fall of Singapore during WWII.

[@fkerpants]

"...but I'll let you argue that one in the comments section below." You definitely know your audience, my friend.

[@cramersclassics]

Nice job Mark. As a kid I played with plastic Shooting Stars in the sandbox. If you have ever heard one scream by at an airshow the sound is mesmerizing! Keep up the great work!

[@BB-oj9uy]

LOVE your presentations every time! Thanks! From a USAF Gulf War vet......

[@davidwood1923]

Thanks for Sharing... Great Job as Always

[@PaleoCon2008]

I met the son of a man who was one of the pilots of the F-80s assigned to Italy and his father told him they were sent there to intercept the German recon jets.

[@rainbowseeker5930]

...something they never did.

[@photone]

@@rainbowseeker5930 Or at least that they officially never did.

[@photone]

The very fact that these missions are still classified leads me to suspect that they very well may (Unofficially) have...we'll probably never know

[@thunderbird1921]

Can you believe we went from those quick-made jets and other prototypes to the F-86 Sabre in less than eight years? The late 40s were probably one of the fastest innovation eras for aircraft in history.

[@AJdet-2]

I was a Naval aviator in the early 70s. I was a S.L.U.F. Jocky.. A good friend owned a p80 single-seat, He entrusted me to take her up with a 15-minute pass- down on its flight characteristics. What a sweet bird and so operator orientated. More so than any aircraft I have flown. I'm surprised Mark did not mention its characteristics as far as pilot friendly and handling. Grand aircraft after the bugs worked out.. PostScript.. Rest in peace Major Richard Bong..

[@tommayberry9682]

S.L.U.F.???

[@PolPotsPieHole]

This is Literally the best channel on You Tube keep it up Mark and thanks for you do

[@einsization]

it is always a great pleasure for me to follow your in-depth knowledge, great work

[@ArkansasArmory]

On my way home from the hospital / surgery yesterday. At least I’ve got three unseen Mark Felton waiting on me at home.

[@smokeybear1597]

i hope you feel better .

[@ArkansasArmory]

@@smokeybear1597 Thank you!

[@salr362]

Get well soon.

[@ArkansasArmory]

@@salr362 Thank you!

[@MarkFeltonProductions]

Get well soon.

[@prairiehawker]

The P-80 was the first expansion Pack I ever bought for Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe.

[@rich7787]

Now that was an awesome game!

[@Actionary]

The trainer version of the F-80, the T-33, retired from the Turkish Air Force in 1997, after a 46-year-long service. As a kid in the early '90's, I'd watch the Shooting Stars perform basic aerial maneuvers above Bandirma, Turkey. As a 36-year old man, I find it pretty exciting to have witnessed one of the earliest jet-powered fighters (albeit a training derivative) fly actively. The same goes for the C-47, which flew in TuAF until as recently as 1998.

[@andrewstallings6548]

Once again Dr, Felton proves we’re just a bunch of amateurs. Unbelievable and bravo..

[@yourstruly4817]

Like a Shooting Star You appeared before me Where have you been all my life?

[@myview5840]

Just flying at 20,000 mph through the void

[@richardjames3036]

I flew one of these once. It was a trainer version--the T-33 but, same aircraft.

[@FLMKane]

What was it like?

[@franzoidle7002]

I have neighbor who has one mounted in his front yard(along with several other aircraft), I always love to stop and gander at a piece of history.

[@dr.jenniferjewellphdearthq9297]

Congratulations Mark ! Thank You for all this history.

[@jacobeisler6737]

Also the brilliant design of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson.

[@0Ploxx]

Cold War Kurt Tank lmao

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

One brilliant guy.

[@lionelburns6317]

Also designed the P-38 Lightning. A plane that was well ahead of its time and revolutionary. First AC to reach 400MPH in level flight. Imagine how much better it would have performed with Rolls Merlin engines. It is my understanding that the Allison's were prone to catastrophic engine failures as in blowing piston walls.

[@lionelburns6317]

@keith moore Better check your info again there Keith. "The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, which entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945". "The P-38 was the first American fighter to make extensive use of stainless steel and smooth, flush-riveted butt-jointed aluminum skin panels. It was also the first military airplane to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) in level flight."

[@lionelburns6317]

@keith moore "The P-38 was the only fighter to make it into combat during World War II with turbo-supercharged V-1710s. The operating conditions of the Western European air war - flying for long hours in intensely cold weather at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) - revealed several problems with these engines. These had a poor manifold fuel-air distribution and poor temperature regulation of the turbo-supercharger air, which resulted in frequent engine failures (detonation occurred as the result of persistent uneven fuel-air mixture across the cylinders caused by the poor manifold design)". You need to work on your memory there Mr Keith.

[@apenza4304]

“Highlighting how dangerous early jets could be” as Mark correctly points out while I would like to highlight how dangerous early jets were to the test pilots that flew them.

[@apenza4304]

@Phil McCrevice. I’ve always thought a pilots life was more precious than their aircraft. Big difference if you’re the pilot.

[@inisipisTV]

@@apenza4304 - He means you also forget the poor people on ground that a falling Jet will kill too. It's not uncommon you know.

[@halibut1249]

I assume test pilots have more experience bailing out if necessary. Still, they prob can't get a normal life insur policy.

[@apenza4304]

@@halibut1249 The very first question I was asked when I applied for life insurance was “Do you have a pilots license”.

[@murphy6700]

One of the most dangerous jobs was for the German ground crews. They had to fuel the jets with highly corrosive jet fuel. A drop could go through the glove, the boot and into the ground.

[@freemarketjoe9869]

This is my favorite historical channel for indpth stories of such interesting subjects!

[@billhunter86]

Thank you, Mark Felton. Job well done. I flew RF-80A's, 15th TRS, 363rd TRG, 67th Tac Recon Wing, out of Kimpo in 1953. None of our A's had ejection seats. We had 4 that had not been upgraded to hot canopies. Try to crank it open, set full nose-down trim, unfasten the set belt and let go of the stick. Flying fighters at this stage of development was a very high risk activity.

[@Quadrenaro]

We had a P-80 on display in my hometown, because of our history training both ww1 and ww2 pilots. It was ignored by the city, fell into disrepair, and now sits without a canopy, covered in graffiti, and most of the paint is gone. This at least, was a few years ago last I saw it. I hope they treat it better now.

[@StevenKeery]

Quadrenaro: That is so sad, it should be donated to a museum and restored.

[@mrjockt]

The P-80 was not the only allied jet with the engine in the fuselage, the De Havilland Vampire, which first flew before the P-80, also had the engine within the fuselage.

[@craigwall9536]

Bull. It didn't _have_ a fuselage. It had a _POD._ A pod and tailbooms.

[@mrjockt]

@@craigwall9536, the bit the wings attach to is commonly referred to as the fuselage, it doesn’t matter if it’s a long slim thing or a short stubby “pod” it’s still the fuselage.

[@garrington120]

Great pity that the Yanks demanded the second Halford ( Goblin ) engine after crashing the the first prototype . This held up the development of the great De Havilland Vampire which was ready in early 1944 until late in 1945 . The Vampire with the Goblin engine was a better aircraft than the Meteor( and the P 80 !! having a top speed of over 500mph . Typical Yank demands and threats that they want all the available technology and screw and delay our own developments.

[@johncarl5505]

@Gary Tarr The US would have let the UK starve to death. There is a reason why the US can cut a better deal.

[@AdamantLightLP]

@Gary Tarr Sorry for trying to help you guys with your war. Next time we'll let Europe finish itself off.

[@johnschultz3287]

Thanks for all your awesome work mr felton by far the best second world war channel in my opinion

[@smc9108]

Top notch as always Mark👍

[@kennedysingh3916]

Some Shooting Star's use to come to Jamaica ofter the war mainly at Vernam Field on training missions.

[@The105ODST]

I don't care if I am late to work; Mark Felton comes first.

[@The105ODST]

If anyones asks I still made it to work on time.

[@nd493]

Excellent attention to detail by Dr. Felton.

[@richarddixon7276]

Congratulations on One Million Subscribers , Well earned & Well deserved ! . KZbin should Give You a medal , I can only offer a pat on the back and a great big THANK YOU for making life more bearable for the military history addicts like myself with Your intelligent & informed history lessons, keep up the good work hopefully the next million will only take half as long to achieve . Stay Safe & Stay Well .

[@glengreen362]

As I said in another channel, the T-33 was not called Shooting Star, it was called Silver Star. If the two seat trainer was a conversion of the single seat fighter it would have been called a TF-80 Shooting Star, however it was a separate development warranting its own designation and name.

[@jabom99]

The CT-133 Silver Star was a Canadian-made version with a Rolls Royce engine.

[@frankwhite3406]

A most enjoyable episode indeed. The Shooting Star was a clean looking 1st generation Jet , I think it was around 50 mph slower in top speed than the Me 262. Would have been most interesting to see it go head to head with the infamous German Horten Ho 229 twin Jet / Pure Flying Wing!

[@Itsjustme-Justme]

The Horten IX has major aerodynamic issues, it can not be flown safely in hard aerobatics. This means, it can not be used as a fighter without major reconstruction of the overall layout. There is quite a large number of flying wing enthusiasts in rc modelling. Some of them are aerodynamics engineers with decades of experience in developing flying wings, including high quality calculation and simulation software and the whole theoretic background. The physics are the same, no matter how big the airplane is. The only difference is, that you an not scale the air. The molecules have their size and they allways act the same. When a flying model gets smaller, Reynolds numbers get lower. That's why a bigger plane flys better than a very small plane. What works well in small scale, does work at least as good when you scale it up. This means, what flys well as a modell, usually flys at least as well in full size. The Horten IX is the only Horten, that has huge stability issues, no matter what they do to improve the design and no matter in which scale the model is built. No matter how the airfoil or the twist in the wing is changed, the problem is never solved well enough for hard aerobatic oder combat style flying. This wing plan view simply does not work very well as a pure flying wing. Every other Horten (except for the Horten X project, that is completely unflyable in its 1945 layout) makes a really great and safe flying model, but not the IX. You have to ad a vertical fin under the tail of the center section to ged rid of the stability issues and make it into a safe flying model. The only way to get stability without a vertical fin is to greatly modify the wing plan view. With the original wing plan view, aerobatics are extremely dangerous because it stalls and spins without warning, when it is pushed over its limits. Of course this does not mean, the design is complete rubbish. As long as you are careful with the angle of attack, with stalling in general and with side slipping and never push the limits, it actually is a nice flying airplane and it is quite a fast airplane. It can not be used as a fighter, but most probably it is usable as a fast high altitude recce plane with higher speed, greater range and, due to its lower wing loading, higher service ceiling than the Ar 234.

[@fattyMcGee97]

I love how professional your videos are! I find it interesting that not only does the p-80 still fly to this day, but so does the meteor as a test bed for ejection seats!

[@robertcox1726]

A Canadian aircraft firm (Canadair) built a version of the P-80 Shooting Star known as the CT-33. The CT-33 used the Rolls Royce Nene engine instead of the Allison turbo jet fitted to the American T-33. A CT-33 was used by Boeing for many years as a photgraghic chase plane. It was retired about 5 years ago.

[@sentrysapper45]

My hometown in northern California has a small airport that was quite active in the 1990s. Some T-33s were stationed there at the time, and I remember seeing them perform takeoffs and flyovers as a kid. One of the few surviving planes is now an exhibit at the local air museum.

[@jamesagnew929]

Fascinating as always Mark to hear about the often untold technology advances in ww2. One of the big problems with the Me-262 and other German jet engines was the service life, and cost of maintenance of these technological marvels. Something the British had an advantage of, with accessibility to key materials such as cobalt and nickel SUGGESTION - little is told about how the WW2 powers obtained materials to manufacture their weapons of war - would be great to hear about this. Keep up the great work!

[@kistler1994]

Slave Labour also was a problem with the production of Me-262s

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Had heard about these. Thanks for this one.

[@christophercoupe5006]

Thank you Mark for another great story that doesn't seem to be in any other documentaries.