Span: 16.75"

Length: 15"

The Shooting Star was possibly the best Allied jet fighter to emerge from World War II (called the P-80 until after WWII), however, like the other Allied jets it was too late to be used in combat. Several were flown around Italy late in the war, but they never saw the enemy.

The design was launched in June 1943 using the de Havilland H.1B turbojet. In an incredible feat of engineering the P-80 was designed, built and flown in 143 days. The P-80 had a fairly conventional design apart from the jet engine and laminar flow wing. It first flew in January, 1944. The power plant was soon changed to the Allison turbojet. This aircraft was a sleek, low-wing monoplane with tricycle landing gear and all round canopy visibility. The P-80 version with an improved wing, began to enter service in January 1945, and a total of just 45 of this variant had been delivered before the end of the war. Production plans for 5,000 aircraft were cancelled, but the development of more improved versions continued production to 5,691 aircraft.