Jet aircraft
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 32,808 to 49,212 feet standard. 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 and shorter distances.
The first aircraft to incorporate significant 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.
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
15 May1941, 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
12 September 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 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.
BOAC operated the first commercial jet service, from
London to
Johannesburg, in
1952 with the
de Havilland Comet.
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 really "constant" in terms of miles per hour, but varies by
atmospheric conditions. In general, modern jets fly at about 420 to 580 miles per hour or 680 to 900 km/h.
The fastest military jet plane remains the now-retired
SR-71 Blackbird.
The fastest commercial jet plane remains the now-retired
Tupolev Tu-144.
NASA and the
FAA have recently been promoting
Very Light Jets, small
general aviation aircraft seating 4 to 8, as a part of a national
air taxi service.
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Commercial aviation*
Aircraft-Info.net - Jet Aircraft*
Aircraft Speed Records
