Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star 'Lulu Belle' 44-83020.jpg

Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star 44-83020
First Prototype.

• 1/8/1944: First flight.
• 1944-45: USAF 412th FG as 78.
• AAF Training Command.
• 11/8/1946: Donated to the Smithsonian Museums.

MSN 140-1001. Model L-140. Powered by de Havilland-built Halford H.1B turbojet. First flightr Jan 8, 1944. Named "lulu Belle". Now with National Air and Space Museum

The first prototype (44-83020) was nicknamed Lulu-Belle (also known as "the Green Hornet" because of its paint scheme). Powered by the replacement Halford H1-B taken from the prototype de Havilland Vampire jet fighter, it first flew on 8 January 1944, with Lockheed test pilot Milo Burcham at the controls. In test flights, the XP-80 eventually reached a top speed of 502 mph (808 km/h; 436 kn) at 20,480 ft (6,240 m), making it the first turbojet-powered USAAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight, following the August 1944 record flight of 502 mph (808 km/h; 436 kn) by a special high-speed variant of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.