The jet engine was first thought of in 1930 by British engineer Frank Whittle. By 1937 he had built a working jet engine. At the same time in Germany Hans von Ohain was building a similar engine.
Amazing! When the first jet-powered aeroplane took off on its maiden flight, it sucked a bird into its engine. The plane was the Heinkel He 178. All modern jet engines are designed to withstand ‘bird strikes’, which could snap off the engine’s fan blades and cause a crash.
What was the first jet plane?
The first two jet planes were experimental fighters built during the Second World War. The German Heinkel He 178 flew in 1939 and the British Gloster E.28/39 in 1941.
Is it true? Jet engines have fans.
Yes. At the front of a jet engine there is an enormous fan which sucks in air. Large airliners have jet engines called turbofans, with fans as tall as a person. The fan compresses the air and forces it into the engine. Fuel burns in the air, creating a rush of hot gases which blast out of the engine. They spin a turbine that works the fan.
What was the first jet airliner?
The first jet airliner to carry passengers was the de Havilland Comet I. It had four jet engines set into the wing roots. The first airline service using the Comet was begun in 1952 by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, between London and Johannesburg.
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