{"id":5888278,"date":"2026-07-17T09:38:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:38:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:38:47","slug":"fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/","title":{"rendered":"The British Jet That Flew Faster Than the Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>On 10 March 1956, a slender British delta streaked down a measured course over the English south coast and did something no aircraft had ever done: it flew faster than 1,000 miles per hour in level flight. When the timekeepers finished their sums, the Fairey Delta 2 had not just broken the world air speed record &mdash; it had shattered it.<\/p><p>The new mark was 1,132 mph. The old one, held by an American F-100 Super Sabre, had been 822. No one had ever raised the record by anything close to that margin. And the pilot who did it, Peter Twiss, had two years earlier crash-landed the very same aircraft after its engine quit in mid-air.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.03em\">QUICK FACTS<\/p><table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Aircraft<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Fairey Delta 2 (FD.2) \u2014 British experimental delta<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>First flight<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">6 October 1954 (Peter Twiss)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Record<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">1,132 mph (1,822 km\/h), 10 March 1956<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Margin<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">~300 mph faster than the previous record \u2014 a 37% jump<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>First<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">First aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Built<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Just 2 aircraft<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 14px 4px 0;color:#555;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\"><strong>Legacy<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 0\">Its drooped nose foreshadowed Concorde<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A research jet, not a weapon<\/h2><p>The FD.2 was never meant to be a fighter. It was a pure research aircraft, built to explore flight at the edge of the sound barrier and beyond, with a sharply swept delta wing and a long, needle nose. Only two were ever made. Yet in raw speed it embarrassed every operational jet on earth.<\/p><p>Its most famous feature was practical rather than glamorous. At the steep nose-up angle a delta needs to land, the pilot could see nothing ahead, so Fairey hinged the entire nose to droop downward for takeoff and landing. Fifteen years later, engineers building Concorde borrowed exactly that idea.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1653847031  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Fairey_Delta_FD2_%2832893306181%29.jpg\/1280px-Fairey_Delta_FD2_%2832893306181%29.jpg\" alt=\"A preserved Fairey Delta 2\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A surviving Fairey Delta 2 (WG777). Note the long nose that drooped for landing \u2014 an idea later used on Concorde. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/StUVyS_O8Fc\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;text-align:center;margin-top:-8px\">The story of Britain&rsquo;s record-breaking little delta.<\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The man who dead-sticked a rocket<\/h2><p>Peter Twiss was no stranger to trouble. A Fleet Air Arm pilot in the Second World War &mdash; he shot down enemy aircraft over the Malta convoys and flew night intruder missions in Mosquitos &mdash; he joined Fairey as a test pilot in 1946 and would eventually fly more than 140 types. On 17 November 1954, the FD.2&rsquo;s engine failed and took the hydraulics with it. Twiss glided the powerless jet down to a landing at Boscombe Down, saving the aircraft and earning a royal commendation.<\/p><p>That same repaired airframe carried him into the record books. The team had quietly suspected for a while what it was capable of.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;As we were developing the Fairey Delta 2, we realised that we were flying virtually every day at speeds above the current world air speed record.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Peter Twiss<\/strong> &mdash; Fairey test pilot<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>The record run itself demanded two passes over a measured course in opposite directions, at height, with the results averaged. Twiss flew them flawlessly. The margin was so large it startled even the record-keepers.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Never before had the record ever been raised by such a margin.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Guinness World Records<\/strong> &mdash; On the 1956 record<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=481719906  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7d\/Fairey_Delta_%281747411285%29.jpg\/1280px-Fairey_Delta_%281747411285%29.jpg\" alt=\"The Fairey Delta 2 delta planform\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The FD.2&rsquo;s slender delta wing made it supersonic with ease. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The record Britain wasted<\/h2><p>Here is the melancholy twist. Britain held the fastest aircraft in the world and did almost nothing with it. The FD.2 was research only; no fighter was ever developed from it, and the 1957 Defence White Paper soon slashed manned combat-aircraft projects across the board. One FD.2, WG774, was later rebuilt as the BAC 221 with an ogee delta wing to help design Concorde &mdash; a quietly fitting second act.<\/p><p>Twiss lived to 90, appeared in films flying a Swordfish in <em>Sink the Bismarck!<\/em>, and watched his record stand as a symbol of what post-war Britain could build when it dared. For one day in 1956, a two-off research jet from a company better known for biplanes was, quite simply, the fastest thing with wings.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OAx8IyW38to\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;text-align:center;margin-top:-8px\">The Fairey Delta 2 and its 1,132 mph record run.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tcjYlfkWE74\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;text-align:center;margin-top:-8px\">Period footage of the 1956 record.<\/p><p style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:14px;color:#555\">Sources: Flight Magazine (1956); Guinness World Records; Fleet Air Arm Museum; The Guardian and Telegraph obituaries of Peter Twiss.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/sncaso-so9000-trident-french-rocket-jet-interceptor\/\">The Record-Breaking Jet France Kept Secret<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-tsr-2-the-best-british-aircraft-that-never-served\/\">The TSR-2: The Best British Aircraft That Never Served<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 10 March 1956, a slender British delta streaked down a measured course over the English south coast and did something no aircraft had ever done: it flew faster than 1,000 miles per hour in level flight. When the timekeepers finished their sums, the Fairey Delta 2 had not just broken the world air speed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5888289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5888278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"The British Jet That Flew Faster Than the Sun\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":694,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/\",\"name\":\"Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The British Jet That Flew Faster Than the Sun\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun","description":"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun","og_description":"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"The British Jet That Flew Faster Than the Sun","datePublished":"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/"},"wordCount":694,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/","name":"Fairey Delta 2: Faster Than the Sun","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T07:38:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T07:38:47+00:00","description":"In 1956 the Fairey Delta 2 smashed the world air speed record at 1,132 mph \u2014 the first jet past 1,000 mph. Inside Peter Twiss and Britain&rsquo;s wasted wonder.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:fDVV.c66d\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record.jpg","width":1280,"height":853},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fairey-delta-2-world-speed-record-1132-mph-peter-twiss\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The British Jet That Flew Faster Than the Sun"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5888278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5888300,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888278\/revisions\/5888300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5888289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5888278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5888278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5888278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}