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Gloster Meteor (D4761/1/28)  

After the success of the Gloster E.28/39, the Air Ministry pushed ahead with the idea of jet-propulsion and on 7^th February 1941, Gloster Aircraft Company received an order for Specification F9/40 - a twin-engined jet fighter that was subsequently named the Gloster Meteor.  The prototype meteor first flew on 5th March 1943 and the first production model took off from RAF Moreton Valence on 12 January 1944.  They commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF, becoming the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during WW2. The Meteor went on to become one of the most successful aircraft of all time and thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and they remained in use for several decades.  Today 5 still remain airworthy, including (as of 2018) two with civil registrations G-JSMA and G-JWMA, that are in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds.