The jet engine generates forward thrust by drawing in air, compressing it, burning fuel in it, and expelling the resulting exhaust at high speed, rather than turning a propeller. Frank Whittle patented a turbojet design in Britain on January 16, 1930, though funding difficulties delayed his own engine's first flight until 1941. Hans von Ohain developed a turbojet independently in Germany, unaware of Whittle's work, and his engine powered the Heinkel He 178 to the world's first jet powered flight on August 27, 1939, nearly two years ahead of Whittle's own aircraft.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateFrank Whittle's British patent for a turbojet engine, filed and granted priority January 16, 1930; Hans von Ohain's independent German patent followed in 1936, and von Ohain's engine achieved the first jet powered flight, on August 27, 1939. SignificanceThe jet engine made sustained flight at speeds and altitudes propeller aircraft could not reach practical, transforming military aviation immediately and, after the war, turning commercial air travel into a routine and increasingly affordable way to cross the world. 1 Disputed
Year1930
1930 is the year of Whittle's British patent, the earlier of the two claims; von Ohain's independent German patent followed in 1936 and his engine flew first, in 1939, before Whittle's own aircraft flew in 1941. Connections
Associated With
Inconel, Materials Inconel nickel-based superalloys are used in jet engine hot sections (turbine blades, combustors) for their high-temperature strength.
Titanium, Materials Titanium alloys are used throughout jet engine compressor sections for their strength to weight ratio at high temperature.
Source Technology: A World HistoryDaniel R. Headrick
Titanium alloys form compressor blades and discs in jet engines.
In Field
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Invented By
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954View the Source Technology: A World History
Daniel R. Headrick, Oxford University Press, 2009Associated With: TitaniumView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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