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Lockon

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I have been reading that the US put a prop on the P-59 when they where moving it around during the day so that anyone would think that it was a new prop plane being tested and not a jet.

Ok I need to know about this prop that was on the P-59, was it just a tmiber cut out or was it off some other aircraft like a P-51 etc.

Does anyone have any info,pics or drawings on the prop/P-59 or where I might find this info.

Lockon.
 
It was basically just a cheap cardboard cut-out that would be put on the plane when it was being towed. Up close it probably wouldn't fool anybody, but then again probably only "authorized personnel" were allowed to get up-close.

Of course, I like their solution as to how to disguise this thing when it was up in the air - rather than cover up the fact that it was a jet, they had the pilots wear gorilla suits so that every time someone saw this thing up in the air, they thought they were going crazy and the base shrink would convince them that this plane didn't exist :)
 
one low quality pic of P 59 with prop is here:

http://www.airbornegrafix.com/HistoricAircraft/EarlyJets/P59XP83.htm

other is here (but back - view :-[ )

http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Bell-P-59/XP-59.htm
 
Thanks so far for the links and info.

Just call me Ray are you for real about the gorlla suits? ::)

Thanks AF for the links, I hope someone will be able to post some close up pics of the prop! I what to build a P-59 like this now it looks cool.

Keep the pics coming people.

Lockon
 
Other find - :) http://www.air-and-space.com/Bell%20P-59%20Airacomet.htm
 
Lockon said:
Just call me Ray are you for real about the gorlla suits? ::)

Yup!

More info can be found here, along with info about the propeller you're looking for:

http://www.aviation-history.com/bell/xp59.html

Apparently it was just a wooden cut-out.
 
AFAIK there was an entire episode on the P-59 on discovery channel (wings probably) ... whole videos with the propeller ... the ruse was much talked about on the show....
 
Hi all I have read that there are some good pictures of the timber prop in this book! does anyone have it to see if this is right?.

Lockon.
 

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Hi,

I sent something like this before;
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4319.0/highlight,p-59.html
 
In Pelletier's Bell Aircraft Since 1935 the original XP-59 was piston engine. The designation was reused for the jet engine version XP-59A.

Would this be the 1st configuration of the XP-59A?
 
No, the piston-engine XP-59 was a whole different aircraft. The designation was reused to conceal the existence of a jet project.

Here is what the original XP-59 (or Model 20) was supposed to look like...
 

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Some additional info from
-"Air International/March 1980
-"Air Force Legends" Number 208 by Steve Pace
 

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From, The American Fighter The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present.
 

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