24-year-old RAF fighter pilot Frank Whittle first patented a new kind of aircraft - the turbojet - in 1930, but his new design was so radical that the military wouldn't fund it, nor would any manufacturers,
Seven years later he found a few private backers and on April 12, 1937 Whittle ground-tested the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at Thomson-Houston factory, Rugby, England.
The German Hans von Ohain developed the concept independently. He wrote in February 1936 to aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel, telling him of the design and its possibilities.
The first turbojet aircraft to fly was the Heinkel He 178 V1, first prototype of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, on August 27, 1939 in Rostock, Germany.
Britain's first jet-propelled aircraft, the Gloster-Whittle E28/39, took to the air for the first time on May 15, 1941, powered by Sir Frank Whittle's turbojet. The 17-minute test flight took place at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England.
The first operational jet fighter was the Messerschmitt Me 262, made by Germany during late World War II. It was the fastest conventional aircraft of the war and completed its first flight on July 18, 1942.
The Gloster Meteor, the first operational jet fighter for the Allied Powers, made its maiden flight on March 5, 1943. Designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Gloster Aircraft Company, the plane was powered by two jet engines and was capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 miles per hour (970 kms per hours). The Gloster Meteor saw limited use during World War II, but it played an important role in the development of jet aircraft technology.
Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at its Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, their Comet 1 prototype made its maiden flight on July 27, 1949 out of Hatfield Aerodrome. The flight lasted 31 minutes.
BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) operated the first commercial jet service with the de Havilland Comet jetliner. It made its maiden flight with fare-paying passengers and inaugurated scheduled service from London to Johannesburg on May 2, 1952.
The Comet was a hit with passengers as flights were about 50 percent faster than on advanced piston-engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-6 (490 mph for the Comet compared to the DC-6's 315 mph), and a faster rate of climb further cut flight times.
The Boeing 707 entered service in 1958. Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from Idlewild Airport, New York to Le Bourget, Paris on October 26, 1958. It came to dominate the market for civilian airliners
On April 26, 1975, test pilot Tim Ferguson landed a Jaguar fighter jet aircraft on the M55 motorway in Lancashire, England, as part of a series of trials to demonstrate the aircraft's ability to take off and land on short, unprepared runways. The trials were conducted in preparation for the possibility of a conflict with the Soviet Union, in which major airfields might be damaged or destroyed.
Seven years later he found a few private backers and on April 12, 1937 Whittle ground-tested the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at Thomson-Houston factory, Rugby, England.
The German Hans von Ohain developed the concept independently. He wrote in February 1936 to aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel, telling him of the design and its possibilities.
The first turbojet aircraft to fly was the Heinkel He 178 V1, first prototype of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, on August 27, 1939 in Rostock, Germany.
 |
| He 178 replica at Rostock-Laage Airport |
Britain's first jet-propelled aircraft, the Gloster-Whittle E28/39, took to the air for the first time on May 15, 1941, powered by Sir Frank Whittle's turbojet. The 17-minute test flight took place at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England.
 |
| The Gloster E.28/39, the first British aircraft to fly with a turbojet engine |
The first operational jet fighter was the Messerschmitt Me 262, made by Germany during late World War II. It was the fastest conventional aircraft of the war and completed its first flight on July 18, 1942.
 |
| Messerschmitt Me 262A at the National Museum of the United States Air Force |
The Gloster Meteor, the first operational jet fighter for the Allied Powers, made its maiden flight on March 5, 1943. Designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Gloster Aircraft Company, the plane was powered by two jet engines and was capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 miles per hour (970 kms per hours). The Gloster Meteor saw limited use during World War II, but it played an important role in the development of jet aircraft technology.
Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at its Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, their Comet 1 prototype made its maiden flight on July 27, 1949 out of Hatfield Aerodrome. The flight lasted 31 minutes.
BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) operated the first commercial jet service with the de Havilland Comet jetliner. It made its maiden flight with fare-paying passengers and inaugurated scheduled service from London to Johannesburg on May 2, 1952.
The Comet was a hit with passengers as flights were about 50 percent faster than on advanced piston-engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-6 (490 mph for the Comet compared to the DC-6's 315 mph), and a faster rate of climb further cut flight times.
 |
| AC Comet 1 G-ALYX (Yoke X-Ray) at London Heathrow Airport in 1953 prior to a scheduled flight |
The Boeing 707 entered service in 1958. Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from Idlewild Airport, New York to Le Bourget, Paris on October 26, 1958. It came to dominate the market for civilian airliners
The landing of the Jaguar on the M55 was a major news story and attracted a large crowd of spectators. The landing was also filmed for a documentary about the Jaguar aircraft. The trials were a success and demonstrated the Jaguar's ability to operate from short, unprepared runways. This capability proved to be invaluable in the Falklands War, when Jaguar aircraft were used to attack Argentine positions from improvised airstrips.
The American SR-71 Blackbird spy plane is the fastest manned jet that has ever flown, setting a world speed record of 2,193.13 mph in 1976.
During the Cold War, bears were shot out of ejector seats in supersonic jets for testing.
Micheal Dorn, Worf from Star Trek, is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He once owned and flew a F-86 Sabre fighter jet.
If you're seated in the rear of a modern jumbo jet, the walk to your seat is longer than the Wright Brothers' 120 ft first flight.
No comments:
Post a Comment