>>1855733Piston engines were a lot more fuel efficient (and honestly engines like the junkers jumo 004, napier nomad and wright turbo compound are STILL competitive on that front) and engineering gearboxes for turboprop engines was not a trivial challenge.
But fuel was cheap, and the dh comet had shown that the extra speed from a jet engine aircraft was what really mattered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK_EQwzCabAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbmzRDvNY4w