They approached the problem in different ways, but they both solved it. The Converging Paths of Whittle and von Ohain

Pictured in 1987 is and the Whittle W1X, the engine he designed. The engine is on display in the jet gallery at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

70 AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2006 They approached the jet engine problem in different ways, but they both solved it. o one who witnessed the first apprentice at the age of 16. His goal flight by a jet had any was to become a pilot. N idea of the revolution that the Hugh Trenchard, Marshal of the jet engine would bring. The secret flight , made many important in of the He-178 contributions to the RAF, but none more on Aug. 27, 1939, led to revolutions so than his concept of apprentice train- in aviation, warfare, transportation, ing. Trenchard insisted that his enlisted politics, and the world economy. and noncommissioned personnel have The Converging Paths of A functioning jet engine was real- a sound education. Then he wanted ized at about the same time by two his average RAF airman to have three independent inventors, British Frank years’ training as an apprentice before Whittle and German Hans Pabst von entering service as a mechanic or other Ohain. They could not have differed skilled worker. more in personality. Trenchard believed that only educat- Whittle and von Ohain Whittle, an extremely proficient Royal ed and well-trained men could become Air Force pilot, was quick tempered professional airmen. To sweeten the and acerbic, and he did not suffer fools pot, he further stipulated the top five By Walter J. Boyne gladly. apprentices in each class could become Von Ohain, an academic, was much cadets and receive flight training. younger, only recently graduated from Whittle was rejected on his first his university, and possessed of a warm, attempt to join the Boy Apprentice engaging personality enhanced by a Training program for poor physi- natural diffidence. cal fitness, but followed a diet and They approached the problem of exercise regime that allowed him to creating a jet engine differently as well. pass his next attempt. He reported for Whittle totally immersed himself in the training in September 1923. It was the hands-on work, subcontracting out only best investment in personnel the RAF those elements that were too complex for would ever make. him to build. He was constantly applying Whittle performed well enough to theory to, and deriving theory from, the be selected for pilot training and was a engine as it progressed. natural pilot. He graduated second in his In contrast, von Ohain was not a class despite some crashes, nonregula- mechanic and taught himself to be an tion low flying, and a few disciplinary engineer only after he had received his problems. doctorate. He hired a skilled mechanic Whittle earned his high class ranking to create the original model engine and by excelling in his studies—in spite of then worked within the framework of his reluctance to engage in team sports. a large aircraft company to bring the He was troubled by a sharp temper that engine to fruition. would affect his dealings with others for Whittle was totally unaware of von much of his life. Ohain’s work. Von Ohain was conscious At the RAF College at , he of other efforts to patent a jet engine, but wrote a groundbreaking paper, “Future did not draw upon any of the available Developments in Aircraft Design.” It knowledge. His preferred operating style postulated that speeds of 500 mph or was to work out his own ideas first, then more could only be achieved in the see what others had done. stratosphere and that a new form of pro- The two men had three things in pulsion— or —would common: initial governmental failure be required. to recognize the immense potential of On graduation, Pilot Officer Whittle their experiments; totally inadequate was posted to No. 111 Squadron at rewards for their great invention; and Hornchurch, flying the Armstrong-Whit- extravagant exploitation of their efforts worth Siskin IIIA. In September 1929, by others. he was posted to the famed at Wittering to learn how Out of the Midlands to become an instructor pilot. Frank Whittle was born in , His distress at leaving the atmosphere , in 1907 to a working class of an operational squadron was offset family. His father was an inventive by additional free time. More impor- mechanic who, despite his lack of a tant, he met others who believed in his technical education, provided Frank idea of a gas turbine. One of these was with the incentive to excel techni- Flight Officer W.E.P. Johnson, who had cally. Young Whittle fulfilled a dream been a patent agent in civil life. Whittle by joining the Royal Air Force as an settled on a new type of gas turbine, AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2006 71 ber 1936. Some preliminary testing of A Concise History of Jet Propulsion Whittle’s engine took place in March Jet propulsion is an application of Isaac Newton’s 1697 Third Law of Motion: For 1937, the same month that Griffith every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Thrust out the back moves the furnished an official report aircraft forward. that essentially declared the jet engine A turbine was patented by John Barber in England in 1791. noncompetitive with conventional power In 1884, Charles A. Parson designed a turbine intended to convert the power of steam directly into electricity. plants. The “WU” (for Whittle Unit) In 1903, Norwegian Aegidius Elling built the first turbine that sustained itself in was fired for the first time on April running. 12, 1937. Romanian inventor Henri Coanda attempted to fly a primitive in 1910, The initial firing of the jet engine using a four-cylinder internal combustion engine to drive a compressor at 4,000 revo- lutions per minute. It was equipped with what today might be called an , was a near disaster. The engine ran producing an estimated 500 pounds of thrust. Countless loyal Coanda fans insist that away, reaching a then-incredible 8,000 the flew. Others say it merely crashed. revolutions per minute before Whittle In 1918, established a gas turbine division. There, Sanford A. was able to shut it down. Moss moved closer to the true jet engine with his GE turbosupercharger that used There followed a series of nerve- hot exhaust gases to turn a turbine that drove a used for supercharging. The device was critical to the success of the B-17, B-24, P-38, and racking trials, each one fraught with many other . the possibility of a catastrophic ex- In later life, Moss would laughingly remark that he did not know how close he came plosion. Whittle’s life was often in to inventing the jet engine. danger as he stayed with the engine, By 1920, Alan A. Griffith developed a theory of turbine design, based on gas flow past airfoils rather than through passages. Later he was a proponent of the trying to control it—and sometimes engine—and an opponent of Whittle. succeeding. There were other experimenters contemporary with Frank Whittle and Hans von The combination of financial and Ohain. American Nathan Price developed a 3,500-pound-thrust engine, and Clar- developmental problems undermined ence “Kelly” Johnson designed an advanced fighter to use it, but the Army Air Corps Whittle’s health. He was now on the RAF considered it so advanced that it was unlikely to be completed before World War II was over. The Army Air Corps therefore rejected it. special duty list, able to devote his full time to the redesign and manufacture of his engine. one using neither a piston engine nor solved the problem of jet propulsion. In Testing on the new engine began in a propeller. practice, he was challenging the limits April 1938. Results were mixed. For a Johnson smoothed the way for Whittle of everything known about compres- while, sustained runs of more than an to present his ideas to the British Air sors, turbines, metals at high tempera- hour were being made, but the engine Ministry. There, Whittle ran into the tures, and the physics of compressed eventually broke down and was rede- bureaucratic opposition that would air flow. signed and rebuilt. delay the development of his engine Whittle learned how to build a jet It was not until the summer of 1939 by five critical years. The agonizing engine by building one. that the Whittle engine began running process would also do much to wreck always lacked money, but at sustained speeds of up to 16,000 his health. Whittle’s persistence and frugality kept RPM. Under the guidance of Alan A. Griffith, it alive through many lean years. The declaration of war on Germany on the Air Ministry’s position was that the The critical initial experiments in Sept. 3, 1939, at last induced the British materials needed to endure the heat and combustion did not begin until Octo- Air Ministry to pursue the advantages stress implicit in a gas turbine were not available. The ministry also felt that the gas turbine would require too much fuel to be practical. Unfortunately for both Whittle and the , Griffith had a basic conflict of interest, favored piston

engines, and had a proprietary interest Photo/Eddie Creek collection in the subject. Whittle persisted, and a patent was granted in 1930. In 1936, Whittle and two former RAF pilots, J.C.B. Tinling and Rolf Dudley- Williams formed a new company, Power Jets Limited, to act on behalf of Whittle and to raise money for developing his invention. Whittle, scrupulous about any possible conflict of interest, informed the government, which allowed him to proceed on the basis that it not interfere with his normal duties. This 1942 photo, taken at the Heinkel works in , Germany, shows Heinkel On Paper, Anything Is Possible employees (from top left to right) Hans Antz, von Ohain, Fritz Shafer (in cockpit), Got- On paper, Whittle seemed to have thold Peter, and two unidentified crew members (on wing).

72 AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2006 aircraft to the . He wanted to manufacture engines, but knew his company would not be allowed the time or resources to develop piston engines, as his arch rival had done. Thus the idea of a revolutionary new engine was attractive. Heinkel already had Walter and Sieg- fried Günter working for him on a rocket plane, the He-176. Heinkel knew that the Günters would be able to design an experimental airframe to test von Ohain’s jet engine. Von Ohain’s position was now better than Whittle’s had ever been. Hahn was hired with him, and a special workshop was set aside for his use. Von Ohain was working on his Ph.D. in physics in Germany when he conceived In addition he had access to Heinkel’s his version of a . His concept was patented in 1935. Shown here is the He- 178, the world’s first jet aircraft. equipment, engineering team, and fi- nances. Von Ohain and Hahn began their work at Heinkel in April 1936, unaware of an that weighed less, years of doctoral work in four years. He that Frank Whittle was immersed in cost less to manufacture, and could use received a patent for his jet engine con- building his first test engine. almost any sort of fuel. cept on Nov. 10, 1935—nine days after The sidestepped the enor- Power Jets was given a contract to receiving his doctorate in physics. mous problems Whittle was encounter- deliver a flight-worthy engine, and He also had the good fortune to work ing with combustion by designing their on Feb. 3, 1940, Gloster Aircraft Co. with Max Hahn, a mechanic with a test engine to run on hydrogen gas. It was given a contract for two prototype knack for building things of metal. He was placed in a test rig in March 1937 jets. The aircraft were designated the took von Ohain’s drawings, analyzed and ran successfully. A few months later, E.28/39. them, and agreed to build a model of design work began on the airframe, the the device. Heinkel He-178. Meanwhile, Back in Germany ... While the test model ran only with Heinkel was pleased by von Ohain’s Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain grew assistance from an electric motor, its success and demanded a flight-wor- up in an atmosphere of noble affluence. compressor did pump, its combustor thy engine as soon as possible. Much His father, Wolf Pabst von Ohain, was burned, and the turbine rotated. This needed to be done to make a jet engine a military officer who married twice indicated that von Ohain was on the that would function on conventional into the same wealthy family. His first right track. fuel. Two prototype engines were wife died, and after a suitable interval Building the engine was beyond his built. he married her sister Katherina Louise, resources, so von Ohain sought out fi- The first prototype, the HeS 3A, who gave birth to Hans in 1911. nancing and backing. One of his mentors was capable of producing 992 pounds Hans von Ohain’s childhood was wrote a letter of introduction for him to of static thrust by March 1939. This idyllic, with plenty of vacations and , who immediately agreed was tested in the air, slung beneath the no lack of funds. In 1930, he entered to meet in March 1936. fuselage of a Heinkel He-118. the Georg August University at Göt- Heinkel was an important manu- The second prototype engine, the tingen, a prestigious technical school. facturer, supplying a wide range of HeS 3B, was modified by the flight- There he studied aerodynamics and thermodynamics under world famous

Photo/Eddie Creek collection instructors. Von Ohain experimented briefly with gliding but stopped when participation required him to be a Nazi. His interest in aircraft propulsion was kindled in 1931, when he took a flight in a Junkers Ju-52 Photo/Eddie Creek collection and found that the noise and vibration ruined the beauty of flight. He decided to make flying as beautiful as gliding was to him—and to do it as simply as possible. In 1933, he began pondering jet propulsion. His first con- cepts involved no moving parts whatso- ever, but he soon shifted to the idea of using a compressor and a turbine. Whittle’s Gloster E.28/39 was configured much like the He-178. The Gloster shown here Von Ohain continued working on on takeoff from Britain’s Farnborough Testing and Evaluation Center is model # W4041/ his ideas, even as he completed seven G. The G indicated that the aircraft was to be kept under armed guard at all times.

AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2006 73 difficulties with this engine—its thrust was low and its diameter was too large. The He-280 program was canceled in favor of the new Messerschmitt Me-262 that also used a Junkers engine. The war ended before another en- gine designed by von Ohain became operational. In terms of monetary reward, von Ohain had received moderate pay increases, and about three months after the war ended he received a check for several hundred thousand now-worthless Reichsmarks from the Heinkel Co. In 1947, the United States swept von Von Ohain kept working for Heinkel after the success of the He-178. His next engine design, the HeS 8A, was installed in the world’s first twin-engine jet fighter, the Hein- Ohain up along with hundreds of other kel He-280 (pictured here). German scientists in Operation Paper Clip. He went to work as a research test experience and was available for to provide information on the jet engine scientist at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. installation in the brand-new He-178 to Rover, Rolls Royce, Metropolitan- Von Ohain continued to distinguish in August 1939. Vickers, and de Havilland, literally himself, becoming chief scientist of the In an eerie forecast of a future hazard putting them in business on the back Aero Propulsion Laboratory in 1975. to jet aircraft, flight testing of the He-178 of Frank Whittle. He continued publishing and patenting was delayed when a bird was sucked The information also was shared with until retiring in 1979. into the air intake during taxi tests. the United States, where General Electric In his retirement years, von Ohain The engine was cleaned and repaired, was tasked with developing the engine. remained active as a consultant and and on the morning of Aug. 27, 1939, Whittle gladly came over to help. was selected as the Flugkapitän made history There followed a long series of busi- Professor at the National Air and Space with the He-178. ness events that saw Power Jets national- Museum in 1985. Like Whittle, von It was the first turbojet aircraft ever ized—at great economic and personal Ohain received many honors recognizing to fly. cost to Whittle. his work. He died on March 13, 1998. This was a remarkable run for von Promoted to , Whittle Whittle and von Ohain met many Ohain, who had gone from a vague soldiered on. He received a grant of times in the United States, often when concept to a successful flight in about £100,000 from the Royal Commission they were jointly receiving some pres- three years. Unfortunately for von Ohain, on Awards for Inventors in May 1948, tigious honor, such as the 1991 Charles in the future, things would not go quite a pittance in light of the billion dol- Stark Draper Prize. When they were so well for his engine. lar industry that developed from his together, von Ohain deferred graciously invention. to Sir Frank. Back in Great Britain ... In July 1948, he was knighted. Sir Of all their meetings, the most signifi- Frank Whittle con- Frank became sick on a lecture tour cant took place at Wright-Patterson in tinued at his same furious pace. He was in the United States and retired from May 1978. Col. Philippe O. Bouchard, in a constant series of disagreements with the RAF on the basis of ill health in commander of the Aero Propulsion the Air Ministry, which was determined August 1948. Laboratory, hosted a two-day session to take his work and turn it over to other Whittle continued to consult and where Whittle and von Ohain spoke companies for development. lecture as his health permitted and even- freely of their experiences and answered Whittle had developed a functioning tually immigrated to the United States a barrage of questions from the capti- jet engine on a ludicrously small bud- in 1976, where he became a research vated audience. get—less than $60,000—but lacked the professor at the US Naval Academy in The two men clearly enjoyed them- confidence of the Air Ministry. Annapolis, Md. Honors were heaped selves, for this was recognition by Whittle worked closely with Gloster on him over the years until his death people who understood the immensity in creating the E.28/39, which (except on Aug. 9, 1996. of their challenge and the talent that it for its tricycle ) happened took to meet it. to have the same low-wing monoplane Operation Paper Clip Perhaps more important, it was per- configuration used by the He-178. After Von Ohain continued his developmen- fectly obvious to Whittle and von Ohain preliminary taxi tests, Gloster’s chief tal work for Heinkel, and his new engine, that, at last, each man truly recognized test pilot, P.E.G. Sayer, made the first the HeS 8A, powered the world’s first jet and applauded the achievements of flight on May 15, 1941. fighter, the Heinkel He-280. There were the other. ■ The combination of stress, overwork, and lack of appreciation continued to sap Walter J. Boyne, former director of the National Air and Space Museum in Wash- Whittle’s health. It did not help that he ington, is a retired Air Force colonel and author. He has written more than 400 smoked and drank too much. articles about aviation topics and 40 books, the most recent of which is Roaring Once the British government realized Thunder. His most recent article for Air Force Magazine, “Gabreski,” appeared in how important his work was, it elected the November 2005 issue.

74 AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2006