Friday, September 17, 2010

"Who the hell is Frank Whittle?" Tecs asks.

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3 comments:

Tecumseh said...

Where is the "Coanda rulz" label?

9/17/2010 6:44 PM
Tecumseh said...

On topic:

The bright idea occurred to lots of people: turn a supercharger into a jet for some real power by opening the back gate. Three people did something about it: Henri Coanda in France, Hans Von Ohain in Germany and Frank Whittle in Great Britain.

The Frenchman was there first, but he is all but forgotten.

The first jet aircraft—Henri Coanda’s “Air Reactive Engine”, which flew briefly in 1910 near Paris, France. On display at the Grand Palais in Paris a month before the “flight” Coanda went straight for the back gate. His jet was a crossover of supercharger and afterburner. A four-cylinder gas engine turned the air compressor. More gasoline was added to the compressor’s exhaust for jet thrust. Voila! Power. Coanda claimed 220 kilograms (about 450 pounds) of thrust. While adjusting his engine during a test on December 16, 1910, Henri realized his aircraft was moving.

All correct, except of course, Henri was not at all a Frenchman--he just happened to show off the first jet-powered plane in France. But hey, not everyone knows the story as well as the FCPers...

9/17/2010 6:50 PM
Mr roT said...

Not a supercharger. A turbocharger.

9/17/2010 7:44 PM

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