Gloster Meteor EE457 was built as an F. Mk. III but modified to F. Mk. IV standard along with
EE454 and EE455 for an attempt on the world speed record. With the end of the Second
World War and the introduction of the jet aircraft, Allied nations were busily trying to
captured speed and altitude records. This excellent Charles E. Brown photograph captures
the unusual lines of the Meteor.
On 7 November
1945, W/Cmdr.
Hugh Wilson,
Commandant of the
Empire Test Pilot
School, set the first
world speed record
with a jet-powered
aircraft when he
used Meteor EE454
to achieve 606.26
mph at 250 feet
above sea level.
This was the first
aircraft speed
record above 600
mph. As can be
seen, the aircraft
had the blisters for
the 20mm cannon
removed along with
other weight saving
and streamlining
modifications.
The aircraft was
also given a
bright yellow paint
scheme.84 AIR CLASSICS/August 2022