FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1945
1945 - 0440.PDF
254 FLIGHT BY degrees, the veil ol secrecy is being lifted fromBritish activities in the practical application ofturbin jet propulsion to aircraft. Last week in anofficial statement issued by the Air Ministry and the Ministry of Aircraft Production, new facts were made public for the first time It is disclosed that: — Rolls-Royce are producing turbine power units.The second Cilositr jet-propelled machine—the Meteor— is a twin-engined craft. Rolls-Royce manufactured the turbine power units for theMeteor. De fiuvilland have designed and engined a new jet-propelled fighter. The .Lockheed Co. in America has a prototype aircraft witha de Havilland jet unit. The Lockheed P-SOA "Shooting Star" was developedfrom this prototype. Embodied in the official statement are numerous inter- esting revelations as to flying characteristics and experi ences of pilots, and a rather ambiguous note on noise. The statement, which coincides with a release of particulars in America, comes nearly three years after the first flight of • a British jet aircraft, the Gloster £28/39, and is the third to be officially issued. One interesting comment is that the Kolls-Koyce unit is more efficient and of longer life than the Junkersjumo unit of the German Me 262 (Swal- low) which was encountered in action last autumn among other enemy jet fighters. No details of internal design have been announced officially, but it is said that the Jumo power unit has a multistage compressor and a two stage turbine. The Swallow, though capable of high speed, has not by any means proved outstanding in combat performance, and many have been shot down by R.A.F. fighter pilots. Progress and Speed From the official note the fact emerges that turbine jet aircraft have been considerably improved in design and production since the advent of the original Gloster in 1941. Furthermore, that other research and development of a secret nature is in progress to improve the performance of British jet aircraft. An inkling of speed is conveyed by the statement that the R.A.F. Meteor twin-engiued fighter, which shot down a number of Vi weapons, possesses greatly superior speed to the pilotless German flying bomb which, it will be recalled, was credited with over 400 m.p.h. Under the Lease/Lend agreement full information of these British technical developments on turbines has been made immediately available to our American ally, just as American progress is communicated ,to us One detects a note of enthusiasm for turbine jets in the official script, for there is reamrmation of some of the main attributes already well known to our readers as a result of numerous articles in these pages. Immediate advantages named are that the gas turbine is simpler in almost every respect to the piston engine ; it is lighter ; it is far more easily serviced, and it employs rotary as distinct from reciprocating motion. Turbines emit no flame, and only under certain rare conditions do they leave any smoke trails. The typical Turbine Je VINDICATION OF THE PRIN NEW POWER UNT By G. G R.A.F. Jet Fighters in Action The Official Air Ministry Slaiemen The first and so far the only jet-propelled aircraft of the UnitNations to go into action against the enemy is the Gloster " Meteor These "Meteor" jet-propolled fighters were first employed bysquadron of R A.F. Fighter Command against flying-bombs launch by the Luftwafie last summer from France; so the first combatsBritish jets were not against conventional aircraft. The R.A. " Meteor " proved to possess a greatly superior speed to the pilotfeGerman flying-bomb, and many tactical lessons were learned fro these early combats. Like the Gloster K.28/39, the first turbine jet aircraft in the worto fly (in May, 1941), the "Meteor" is also a product of the Glost Aircraft Company (Hawker-Siddeley Group). The "Meteor"powered with Rolls-Royce engines manufactured to the basic desi| of Air Comdre. Frank Whittle, R.A.K, in collaboration wi^iJPowJets, Ltd. and the British Thomson-Houston Co., Ltd. The '.mrKOga supplied to the U.S Army Air Force in October, 1941, was'Built tPower Jets, Ltd. Air Comdre. Whittle visited the U.S.A. in order assist our Allies to initiate their development programme. In addition to the "Meteor," Great Britain has another jet-propellffighter in aa advanced stage of development. This has been designt and engined by the de Havilland concerns. These engines are aimanufactured on the basic principles used by Air Comdre. Whittle. One built by this company was supplied to the U.S.A.A.F. in Jul;194 , and was used by the Lockheed Company as the power unit of prototype aircraft which was built by that firm. This prototype, labengincd by a unit of American construction, was developed into tl Lockheed P-SOA. Other research and development work is in active progress withview to progressive increase of the performance of British-built aircrac using jet-propulsion units. Thest are of a highly secret nature.Just as full information was provided to the United States A Forces of the original Whittle design, so, in conformity with tlunswerving policy of the British Government to make all technics information immediately available to our American ally, full detailof the progress made by British aircraft firms in developing jet aircraf and engines have been freely communicated to the United StatsInformation on American development progress is similarly being madf available to us The original British turbine jet aircraft was a single-engined aircraftbut the "Meteor" is a twin-engined monoplane of very clean desigE . It first flew experimentally in March, 1943, and since then the productiatype^ have been considerably improved. The engines of the "Meteor" take in enormous quantities of at(hundreds-eights a minute^, which are sucked in, compressed, heatd with burning paraffin and ejected through the turbine and then throu$a large rear nozzle. There are several immediate advantages to bi found in the jet engine or gas turbine. First and foremost, it is simplain almost every respect than the piston engine; it is lighter; it is fai more easily serviced; and it possesses a rotary, as distinct from ireciprocating movement It is known that the Rolls-Royce engine d smell given off by a hot paraffin oil stove is one comment. Extreme smoothness of running, absence of the usual vibra- tion and simplicity of engine controls are very much wel- comed by pilots, it is added. This further official seal upon the success of British turbine jet-propelled aircraft pioneered by Air Comdre. Frank Whittle will be pleas- ing to many who from the outset have exhibited faith in its future and encouraged de- velopment of turbine power units. Only last month Air Comdre. F. R. Banks ex- pressed his personal view be- This is a new view of theBritish Gloster E28/39, the first turbine-jet aircraft tofly. It has a tricycle under- ' carriage.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
