Designed by Gloster's brilliant chief engineer George Carter, the Meteor was Britain's first operational jet, and the first such aircraft in Allied inventory. The Meteor was an outgrowth of intensive r&d work conducted by Frank Whittle, inventor of the turbojet in 1929. The Meteor featured an all-metal fuselage, and straight wings with mid-mounted engine pods. The F1 version could achieve a speed of 417 mph at 10,000 feet, and entered service in June 1944. During WWII, it flew primarily as an interceptor against German V-1 "buzz bombs." Australian pilots flew it in combat during the Korean...