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Only people who are familiar with jet propulsion know how it works. Here is a simple explanation.
How does a jet propulsion system work?
If you’ve ever sat in an airplane, you’ve probably seen them: the large engines on the wings that provide speed. We will now explain how such a jet engine works.
- In a jet engine, air is first sucked in from the outside. This is done by the large blades at the front of the engine.
- The liquid kerosene is then injected inside and burned in the combustion chamber. The resulting substance undergoes a strong expansion.
- This expanding substance created by the combustion is expelled from the outlet nozzle at the rear end and provides the required thrust.
- A jet engine is therefore an engine that uses the recoil principle to generate thrust.
Who invented the drive?
The idea of jet propulsion emerged as early as 1935. Aviation as a whole was not that old then. These two personalities are responsible for the fact that airplanes fly with a jet engine:
- Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain and Ernst Heinkel got jet propulsion for airplanes off the ground. The first idea was patented by the former in 1935.
- Von Ohain was a physicist and Heinkel owned the Heinkel-Werke in Rostock. Powerful airplanes were already being built here, but they were to be developed further.
- The development of the first jet engine took place in secret and the ministry at the time had no knowledge of it. Nevertheless, Heinkel worked on the rocket engine at the same time as Wernher von Braun.
- Two years later, the first engine with the designation “He 178” was created. The aircraft that was to be powered by this engine had to meet special requirements. Even visually, it was now clearly different from conventional aircraft.
- The maiden flight took place on August 27, 1939. In the early morning, the test pilot was able to reach a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. By the standards of the time, this was a sensation.
- A similarly functioning engine was developed in 1941 by Frank Whittle, an Englishman. Junkers and BMW were also working on such engines.
- Heinkel and von Ohain paved the way for the jet engine, but other companies took over further development and future production.
- Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain was born on 14.12.1911 in Dessau. He died on 13.03.1998 in Melbourne, Florida. Ernst Heinkel was born on 24.01.1888 in Remshalden and died on 30.01.1958 in Stuttgart.
