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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 0766.PDF
677 HJGHT International, 13 May 1971 Britain's first jet aeroplane ' BY JOHN GRIERSON Thirty years ago next Saturday the Gloster-Whittle E.28/39 Pioneer, Britain's first jet-propelled aeroplane, made its initial flight. As a "first" it had been pre-empted by Germany's Heinkel 178 in 1939 and Italy's piston-engined ducted-fan Campini Caproni N.I a year later. But it was the beginning of the longest continuous line of turbine development, which has virtually taken over the propulsion field from the piston engine. John Grierson was one of the four Gloster test pilots concerned with the E.28/39 project. He recalls here some of his impressions of the revolutionary aeroplane and its trials programme, which was naturally geared entirely to the need for rapid development of a turbine engine for use with the first production fighter, the Meteor. IN SEPTEMBER 1939 the Gloster Aircraft Company received a contract for an aeroplane designated the E.28/39. George Carter, the company's chief designer, was thereby instructed to create an aeroplane capable of proving the principle of jet propulsion, and although space was originally provided for four Browning guns these were never fitted. By mutual agreement the aeroplane was to be called "The Gloster-Whittle" E.28, in token of the important design contributions made by Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets. Only two prototypes were ordered, the idea being that once these had proved themselves successful in flight, the go-ahead could be given for a more elaborate twin-engined version incorporating all the equipment necessary to give it true fighter capability. The round fuselage of the E.28 low-wing monoplane had a slightly tubby appearance, perhaps because there was no problem of damaging the propeller tips, which allowed the machine to have an unusually short undercarriage. Notable features of the design were as follows:— (1) A nose air-intake led the air through bifurcated ducts around the cockpit. (2) The nosewheel was steerable by the rudder, an unusual feature in those days and one which proved very handy for manoeuvre after a forced landing. (3) A single fuel tank of 82 Imp gal capacity'was located directly behind the pilot. Its design incorporated an inverted-flying compartment because of the fear that, in the case of negative g, the flame might be put out and be followed by relighting difficulties. (4) The Whittle W.l gas turbine (the first engine to be fitted) was installed behind the pilot and the fuel tank. Its exhaust was led through the centre of the fuselage and the jetpipe terminated about two feet behind the rudder. (5) The original engine was started by an Austin Seven car engine connected by a flexible drive. After the early flights, later engines had electric starting from a ground booster battery. (6) The cockpit was enclosed by a sliding canopy, but no pressurization or heating of any kind was provided. We were supposed to have electrically heated clothing but because there was no generator on the engine and all the battery capacity was needed to work the auto matic observer—this being of great importance in recording the results of our tests—we had to remain pretty cool. (7) Retraction of the undercarriage was by a hydraulic accumulator, working at l,5001b/in2, backed up by the pilot's hand-pump. In addition there was an emergency compressed-air system. The flaps were also hydraulic, but worked direct from the hand-pump. (8) We had no radio and the all-up weight of the original E.28, with its Power Jets W.l engine of 8601b thrust, was 3,6901b. After preliminary taxying tests at Brockworth (Gloster's home aerodrome) in April 1941 the E.28 was moved by continued overleaf Cranwell, 7.40 p.m.. May IS, 1941. "Jerry" Sayer, the Power Jets W.l engine and the Gloster E.28/39 airborne for the first time (heading picture). The aeroplane had previously made three hops, each of about 200 yards, on May 7 during taxi trials at Gloster's Airfield at Brockworth while temporarily fitted with the non-flightworthy WAX engine. It was at Cranwell that much of Whittle's theoretical work on the turbine engine was developed
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