JET-PROPELLED PLANES

Evening Star, Issue 25422, 1 March 1945, Page 5

JET-PROPELLED PLANES

IN USE BY fe.A.F. FASTER THAN THE FLYING BOMB (Rec. 11.5'a.m.) RUGBY, Feb. 28. The first, and so far the only, jet. propelled aircraft of the United Nations to go into action against the enemy, is the Gloster Meteor, states the Air Ministry. Meteor fighters were first employed by a squadron of B.A.F. Fighter Command against the flying bombs, and were proved to possess greatly superior speed to this pilotlesa German -weapon, and many tactical lessons were learned from these early combats; JThe Meteor is powered with, Rolls-Royce engines manufactured to the basic design of Air-commodore Frank Whittle. • •

In addition to the Meteor, Britain has another jet-propelled fighter in an advanced stage of development. This has been designed anr 1 engined by the de Havilland concern. Other research development work is in active progress with a view to the progressive increase of the performance of British-built aircraft using jet propulsion units; This arm of the service is of a secret nature, and in-conformity with the unswerving policy of the British Government, all technical information has been made available to America. ,

The original British turbine jet aircraft was a single-engined aeroplane, but the Meteor is a twin-engined monoplane of very clean design. It first flew experimentally in March, 1943. and since then production types have been considerably improved. The engines of the Meteor take in enormous quantities of air—hundredweights a minute—which is sudked in, compressed, heated, with burning paraffin, ejected through the then through' a large rear nozzle.

There are several advantages to be found in the jet engine or gas turbine. First and foremost is that it is simpler in almost every respect than the piston engine, lighter.' and more easily serviced It is known that the Rolls-Royce engine of this type is more efficient than the engine' of the German (Me«