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Mr. William Safire
New York Times
229 West 43d St.
New York, N.Y. 10036
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Dear Mr. Safire:

	I'm puzzled by your etymology for ``jet set''.  In 1951
there were no non-military jet aircraft.  If you really have a
1951 source, the term must have meant something else.

	The British Comet I was introduced in 1952, but my impression is
that it didn't fly many routes before its tendency to come apart in
mid-air from metal fatigue caused its withdrawal.  The first commercial
jet aircraft, the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8 and the British Comet 4,
came into use in late 1958.  They displaced piston aircraft on
international routes very quickly and not at a premium fare, so it seems
unlikely that anyone could achieve distinction by flying jet on routes on
which other people were taking propeller planes.

	I don't know when private jets came into use, but my
recollection is that the term ``jet set'' antedates it.

	My memory is that the jet set was, and is, characterized
by how much they flew about, rather than the means of travel.
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Sincerely,
John McCarthy
Professor
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