History of Jet Planes

Jet airplanes are one of the technological revolutions of the modern age. They replaced propeller type craft for the most part within the first 20 years of their existence. Today jet airplanes are used for almost every type of large military and commercial transport need and have become the normal air transportation method around the world.

Firsts

In 1929 Frank Whittle designed the first jet airplane on paper. The first actual manufactured jet was made by the Germans in 1939 and was called the Heinkel He 178. The Italians followed in 1940 and the British soon after in 1941. The United States built and flew a prototype in 1942. The first jet fighter was the German Messerschmitt Me 262, which saw flight in the final stages of World War II.

War

During World War II many jet airplanes came into existence. Germany had the Messershmitt, which was copied by Japan in 1945. Meanwhile, Brittan created the Gloster Meteor in the final months of the war. None of the jets developed during the war saw combat against each other and were limited to ground defense. During the Korean War an F-80 from the United States flew into combat against MiG-15s from North Korea. This was the first recorded dogfight between jet aircraft.

Commercial Jets

The first commercial jet flew in 1949 with service between London and Johannesburg, starting in 1952 by BOAC, the national British carrier. This jet was the Comet 1, which suffered many accidents and was eventually scrapped two years later. Because of the initial success of the Comet, two American companies, Boeing and Douglas, began building jet aircraft to compete with the Comet 1 successor, the Comet 3.

Boeing and Douglas

Boeing and Douglas came out with American made jets by 1955. These were the famous Boeing 707 and the DC-8 from Douglas. Boeing was the first major player in the manufacture of jets when National Airlines used the 707 for the first jet service in 1959. American Airlines became the first transcontinental provider soon after. Delta and United became the first to use the DC-8 in September of that same year.

Significance

From the beginning of its history the jet airplane has shown significant improvement over propeller type aircraft. Speed, safety, comfort and reduction in noise helped give jet aircraft an advantage over older types of aircraft. Jet aircraft allowed the first transatlantic flights by BOAC and American Airways in 1958 and non-stop service around the world by the following year from Pan American Airlines. Within three years every major airline was using jet aircraft.

References

• The Jet Era
• Jet History