Heinkel He 178
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| Heinkel He 178 | |
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| Type | Experimental prototype/Pioneer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Heinkel |
| Maiden flight | August 27, 1939 |
The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, and the first practical jet plane, the pioneering example of this type of aircraft. It was a private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight and first flew on August 27, 1939 piloted by Erich Warsitz. This had been preceded by a short hop three days earlier.
[edit] Development
In 1936, a young engineer named Hans von Ohain had taken out a patent on using the exhaust from a gas turbine as a means of propulsion. He presented his idea to Heinkel, who agreed to help develop the concept. Von Ohain successfully demonstrated his first engine in 1937, and plans were quickly made to test a similar engine in an aircraft. The He 178 was designed around von Ohain's third engine design, which burned diesel fuel. The result was a small aircraft of conventional configuration and construction, with a metal fuselage and high-mounted wooden wings. The jet intake was in the nose, and the plane was fitted with tailwheel-style undercarriage. On the first flight, the main gear was fixed, but was later made retractable.
The aircraft was an outstanding success — although just a flying testbed, it was faster than any piston engined military aircraft of the day that were then in regular squadron service, having reached a maximum speed of 403 mph (650 km/h) and a cruising speed of 363 mph (585 km/h). Projected maximum speed for a production aircraft was to be 435 mph (700 km/h), a speed not reached in combat until 1944, but easily exceeded by the third prototype of the Messerschmitt Me 163, a rocket fighter, in August 1941. On November 1, 1939, Heinkel arranged a demonstration of the jet for the Reichsluftfahrtministerium ("Reich Aviation Ministry", RLM), where both Ernst Udet and Erhard Milch watched the aircraft perform. However, due to the conservative approach to aircraft design then favoured by both men, no official interest in the concept was shown. Nevertheless, Heinkel was undeterred, and decided to embark on the development of a twin-engined jet fighter, the Heinkel He 280 as a private venture using what had been learned from the He 178.
The He 178 was placed in the Deutsches Technikmuseum ("German Technical Museum") in Berlin, where it was destroyed in an air raid in 1943.
[edit] Specifications (He 178)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 7.48 m (24 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 7.20 m (23 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.10 m (6 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 9.1 m² (98 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,620 kg (3,572 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,998 kg (4,405 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× HeS 3 turbojet, 4.4 kN (992 lbf)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 700 km/h (435 mph)
- Range: 200 km (125 mi)
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
- List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects
- List of World War II jet aircraft
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