The Book of Invention: The Jet Aircraft

 

In 1939, World War Two began in Europe. This war would last for almost five years. In Germany, Hans von Ohain designed and installed a completely new type of engine in an aircraft, an engine which would enable the aircraft to fly at a truly high speed. This was the first jet engine, pushed forward by air which was first sucked up and compressed, and the exhaust gases expelled at great pressure. Two years later, quite independently of von Ohain, an English engineer, Frank Whittle achieved the same results. But the first people to install the new motor in an aircraft were the Germans. Their Messerschmitt Me 262, used during the last stages of the Second World War, gave the best performance.

                By the end of the War, jet engines had begun to be used in passenger aircraft, too. Now, people could fly at higher speeds and so complete their journeys within an unbelievably short time. Passengers travelled in pressurized cabins, where the internal pressure is similar to the air pressure on land.

                In 1969 the Concorde was launched. This was the first passenger aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. Thanks to its aerodynamic shape which gave the least possible resistance to the pressure of the air and an extremely powerful engine, the Concorde was able to fly from New York to London in less than three hours.

                The ancient dream of Icarus, to fly solely by human power, came true in 1979. On 12 July of that year, American racing cyclist Bryan Allen crossed the English Channel in less than three hours, pedaling one metre above the surface of the water on board the Gossamer Albatross. This aircraft was designed and built by American aeronautical engineer and inventor, Paul MacCready. The Gossamer Albatross was almost transparent, constructed of super-light materials and with a wingspan of 28 meters. It weighed about 98 kilogrammes, including the pilot.