Gloster Meteor WA591

‹ Return to

Gloster Meteor WA591

The Meteor was the first Allied jet to enter service in July 1944 although Nazi Germany was off the mark a little before with the better armed and quicker Messerschmitt Me262.

It is amazing to think the war had started 5 years earlier with biplanes and ended with jet fighters.

Although in action shooting down V1 missiles over the English Channel, Meteors could not fly over Occupied Europe for fear of one being shot down and reverse engineered by the Germans.

33 comments on “Gloster Meteor WA591
  1. nondesigner59 says:

    Amazing technology for its time, War has a habit of pushing the boundaries !!

  2. bazylek100 says:

    Well captured, Ian. Though not a widely known fighter, I’ve heard it had been used in the Korean War too.

  3. P_H_I_L_L says:

    It’s a beautiful looking aircraft, captured so cleanly it could almost be a model. I must say Ian, I found this line slightly amusing:

    "Meteors could not fly over Occupied Europe for fear of one being shot down and reverse engineered by the Germans"

    Whether that was the case or not; as you mentioned the Germans had the ME262, they were also developing much more advanced aircraft such as the Horton Ho (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_Ho_229) No prizes for guessing where the American stealth bomber design came from.

    They were also developing other advanced jet aircraft such as the Junkers EF132, a super long range bomber (there is evidence to suggest they had a plan to use it to deliver nuclear bombs to New York. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_EF_132

  4. Mark McKie says:

    Brilliant shot mate, Pin sharp.

  5. Kingsdude/Dave says:

    A brilliant shot Ian – and what a great looking machine :-))

  6. crusader752 says:

    A total Classic Ian – beautifully captured too 🙂

  7. SolarScot. says:

    it still looks good

  8. salfordlad1 says:

    Classic plane..Enjoying reading and learning something different..Great comment from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner]

  9. mick cooke says:

    great plane Ian and great info as usual
    take care
    have a great week end

  10. Tech Owl says:

    Nice clean captures Ian – I remember the history lessons talking about the jet and timing.
    They sure made beautiful looking planes in those days.

    Happy birthday to Lucy!

  11. pasujoba says:

    Crackin shot Ian , especially like the bottom one and its still a great sketch of a meteor on that wreckage ! and HB Lu!

  12. gastephen says:

    terrific shot Ian

  13. redrocker_9 says:

    As always Ian, your photos are educational as well as brilliant!

  14. Tim Spicer Photography says:

    Lovely shot, such a lovely looking thing.

  15. cgullz says:

    great image, wonderful clarity and i love the feature framing – really adds to the sleek impression. i didn’t know that about them not being allowed over Occupied Europe, makes sense of course.
    HB Lu!!

  16. stopherjones says:

    Lovely capture, so crisp and detailed – I agree, this really is a sleek looking plane, great lines beautiful design as well as function. Interesting perspective on the arms race too, from biplanes to jet fighters.

  17. The_Photo_Boy says:

    nice one – excellent work!

  18. amyrey says:

    Wars do seem to accelerate the pace of technological change – not always for the better. But this is a fab looking aircraft and a great image.

  19. Travelling Man Photos says:

    Another cracking shot Ian – well done

  20. Billy Currie says:

    it is well named, looks fantastic

  21. Ian D B says:

    Many thanks everyone, much appreciated. Not got much new to offer at present, so am rooting around for as yet unused shots.

    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/25305713@N04] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopherjones] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/amybigkiss] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/angwickham] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cachelog] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillwatson]
    Thanks guys. Yeah, good comment Malcolm. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner]
    As we remember Neil Armstrong, the same technology which took him and Buzz Aldrin (and Michael Collins who remained in the orbiter) to the moon, we recall that it was Nazi V2 rocket technology that made the Saturn V rocket possible.
    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillwatson]
    Thanks for the links Phill, very interesting. You are right, the Nazis were streets ahead with aviation technology – at least they had the ideas; ejector seats, guided missiles etc. But a combination of strictly top down management and the constant search for a new miracle weapon meant that thankfully they never got far with them. But the Allies didn’t know that at the time….

    Two that did make it to operational status were the Me262 as mentioned and also the Arado Blitz (Ar234) jet bomber which flew at the same sort of height and speed as a modern airliner does today. They could fly over Allied territory with impunity. But they came too late in the day for the Nazis. I expect you are well familiar with the Ar234 but here’s a link anyway!
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_234

  22. janano2010 says:

    Spectacular shot. Really clear. One of my favorites.

    I dont know where Black Hill is, I must investigate.

  23. Ray~Watson says:

    Brilliant!

  24. Highy says:

    Great shot of a wonderful aircraft mate, fantastic to see this flying again. Dan Griffitths flew it at Duxford last year and stole the show with it (Sabre ran him close though!).

    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/47353940@N04]
    Great link thanks – interesting stuff!

  25. IANLAYZELLUK says:

    Fab man.

  26. stuant63 says:

    Beautiful plane – beautiful light – ace photo!

  27. Ian D B says:

    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/janspencer]
    Hi Jan, thank you. Black Hill is in the northern Peak District, south of Holmfirth. Though your comment was 2 days ago so you’ve probably got that sussed already.

    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjwatson] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianlayzellphotographs] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuant63] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/highy] Cheers chaps!

  28. f3liney says:

    Nice shot Ian.
    I was enjoying this very aircraft down at Dunsfold last weekend.

  29. Reflective Kiwi %-) says:

    Love that drawing. Interesting info as always too! %-)

  30. Jainbow says:

    Great detail :~}

  31. jr55 (John Richardson) says:

    Perfect shot Ian, shows up the design a treat.

  32. stewart morgans says:

    Back in 1978 I was a member of 1430 Air Training Squadron and myself and a few other cadets spent many hours removing the original paint from this plane! We did it to blag flights in Chipmunks! Saw it fly at at Southport airshow and to my amazement learned it was the same plane! Well done to everyone involved with this aircraft. Thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*