Jet aircraft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since August 2006. (help, talk) |
Jet aircraft are aircraft with jet engines. Unlike propeller-powered aircraft, jet aircraft normally fly at altitudes as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters, about 33,000 to 49,000 feet. At these altitudes, jet engines can achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller powered aircraft achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower altitudes.
Contents |
[edit] Historical examples
The first aircraft to incorporate the principles of the jet engine was the Coanda-1910 (Romania), piloted by its inventor Henri Coandă in 1910. The engine of this aircraft, unlike the modern jet engine, used a piston engine rather than a turbine to drive its compressor. Unfortunately, the aircraft crashed during its first and only demonstration, however remaining mostly intact.
The first true turbine-equipped jetplane was the Heinkel He 178 (Germany), piloted by Erich Warsitz in 1939 (August 27, 1939).
The British flew their Gloster E.28/39 powered by Sir Frank Whittles turbojet on May 15, 1941, with Flt Lt PG Sayer as pilot. The United States, upon learning of the British work, produced the Bell XP-59, with a version of the Whittle engine built by General Electric which flew on September 12, 1942 with Col L. Craigie as pilot.
The first operational jet fighter was the Messerschmitt Me 262, piloted by Fritz Wendel. It was the fastest conventional aircraft of World War II - only the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was faster. Mass production started in 1944, too late for a decisive impact. About the same time, the United Kingdom's Gloster Meteor made up the first operational jet fighter squadron in 1944. It was used to defend the UK against the V1 flying bomb and in ground-attack operations over Europe towards the end of the war. The Imperial Japanese Navy also developed jet aircraft in 1945, including the Nakajima Kikka, partially inspired by German designs.
During the Korean War in 1950 (on November 8, 1950), United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown flying in an F-80, intercepted two North Korean MiG-15s near the Yalu River and shot them down in the first jet-to-jet dogfight in history.
Argentina developed the FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II between 1950 and 1953, with the help of German engineer Kurt Tank. This was the first jet fighter to be entirely developed and built in Latin America, making Argentina the 6th country in the world to develop such technology on its own.
BOAC operated the first commercial jet service, from London to Johannesburg, in 1952 with the de Havilland Comet.
The fastest military jet plane remains the retired SR-71 Blackbird.
The fastest commercial jet plane remains the retired Tupolev Tu-144.
[edit] Modern jets
Modern jets generally cruise at speeds of 0.75 to 0.85 Mach, which is to say, 75 percent to 85 percent of the speed of sound. The speed of sound is a function of air temperature and pressure, and therefore the speed of a jet is not constant in terms of miles per hour, but varies with atmospheric conditions. In general, modern jets fly at about 420 to 580 miles per hour or 680 to 900 km/h.
NASA and the FAA have recently been promoting Very Light Jets, small general aviation aircraft seating 4 to 8.
