Jet Age

For other uses, see Jet Age (disambiguation).

The Jet Age is a period of history defined by the social change brought about by the advent of large aircraft powered by turbine engines. These aircraft are able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older piston-powered propliners, making transcontinental and inter-continental travel considerably faster and easier: for example, aircraft leaving North America and crossing the Atlantic Ocean (and later, the Pacific Ocean) could now fly to their destinations non-stop, making much of the world accessible within a single day's travel for the first time. Since large jetliners could also carry more passengers, airfares also declined (relative to inflation), so people from a greater range of social classes could afford to travel outside of their own countries. In many ways, these changes in mobility are similar to those brought about by railroads during the 19th century.

The introduction of the Concorde supersonic transport (SST) airliner to regular service in 1976 was expected to bring similar social changes, but the aircraft never found commercial success, and after a fatal crash in Gonesse, near Paris (the only loss of an SST in civilian service), flights were discontinued in 2003. The only other SST to enter service was the Tu-144. This only saw limited passenger services within Russia but proved expensive to operate and maintain and was retired from civilian service in 1978 (although it was later used for research flights). McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed and Boeing were three US manufacturers that had planned to develop SSTs since the 1960s, but these projects were abandoned for various developmental/cost or other reasons.

Aviation history

The de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to fly (1949), the first in service (1952), and the first to offer a regular jet-powered transatlantic service (1958). One hundred and fourteen of all versions were built but the Comet 1 had serious design problems, and out of nine original aircraft, four crashed (one at takeoff and three broke up in flight), which grounded the entire fleet. The Comet 4 solved these problems but the program was overtaken by the Boeing 707 on the trans-Atlantic run. The Comet 4 was developed into the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod which retired in June 2011. The first successful jet-powered airliner was the Tupolev Tu-104.

The first five jet airliners to fly were:

1. The UK de Havilland Comet, 1949
2. The Canadian Avro Jetliner, later in 1949
3. The French Sud Aviation Caravelle, 1955
4. The Soviet/Russian Tupolev Tu-104, 1955
5. The US Boeing 707, 1957

The first five in service were:

1. The UK de Havilland Comet, 1952
2. The Soviet/Russian Tupolev Tu-104, 1956
3. The US Boeing 707, 1958
4. The French Sud Aviation Caravelle, 1959
5. The US Douglas DC-8, 1959

(The Canadian Avro Jetliner never achieved commercial service)

Following the grounding of the Comet 1, the Tu-104 became the first jet airliner to provide a sustained service and it was the only jet airliner in operation between 1956 and 1958 (when the Comet 4 and Boeing 707 entered service). The plane was operated by Aeroflot (from 1956) and Czech Airlines ČSA (from 1957). ČSA became the first airline in the world to fly jet-only routes (using the Tu-104A).

The first western jet airliner with significant commercial success was the Boeing 707. It began service on the New York to London route in 1958, the first year that more trans-Atlantic passengers traveled by air than by ship. The Boeing 747, the 'Jumbo jet', was the first widebody aircraft, reducing the cost of flying and further accelerating the jet age.

Use of the term

The term "jet age" was first coined in the late 1940s, before the appearance of any jet airliners. At the time, the only jet-powered aircraft were military types, most of which were fighter designs. The expression reflects the recognition that the jet engine had effected, or would soon, a profound change in aeronautics and aviation. In the history of military aviation, the "jet age" began in 1944, during World War II, when the first jet fighters and bombers entered service whereas for commercial aviation the "jet age" began in the late 1950s.

See also

• Environmental impact of aviation
• Jet set