Stephen A. Lawrence wrote:
The US has not done anything at top speed since Boeing developed jet aircraft!
I'm confused. Twice in recent posts I've seen jet aircraft mentioned as an American innovation.
Large jet propelled passenger aircraft were an American innovation. Jet engines were invented independently in Germany and in England just before and during World War II. During the last year of the war, US military commanders agreed to let the British continue development of jet engines and the Meteor fighter while the US concentrated on propeller driven aircraft, because British R&D was still ahead of the US in some ways, the British aircraft industry was much smaller than the US, and many of the airplanes were needed in the Pacific.
- Jed
