Jet aircraft
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Jet aircraft are aircraft with jet engines. Unlike propeller-powered aircraft, jet aircraft normally fly at altitudes as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters, about 32,808 to 49,212 feet standard. At these altitudes, jet engines can achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller powered aircraft achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower altitudes and shorter distances.
The first aircraft to incorporate significant principles of the jet engine was the Coanda-1910 (Romania), piloted by its inventor Henri Coandă in 1910. The engine of this aircraft, unlike the modern jet engine, used a piston engine rather than a turbine to drive its compressor. Unfortunately, the aircraft crashed during its first and only demonstration.
The first true, turbine-equipped jetplane was the Heinkel He 178 (Germany), piloted by Erich Warsitz in 1939 (August 27, 1939).
The British flew their Gloster E.28/39 powered by Sir Frank Whittles turbojet on 15 May1941, with Flt Lt PG Sayer as pilot. The United States, upon learning of the British work, produced the Bell XP-59, with a version of the Whittle engine built by General Electric which flew on 12 September 1942 with Col L. Craigie as pilot.
The first operational jet fighter was the Messerschmitt Me 262, piloted by Fritz Wendel. It was the fastest conventional aircraft of World War II - only the rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was faster. Mass production started in 1944, too late for a decisive impact. About the same time, the United Kingdom's Gloster Meteor made up the first operational jet fighter squadron in 1944. It was used to defend the UK against the V1 flying bomb and in ground-attack operations over Europe towards the end of the war. The Imperial Japanese Navy also developed jet aircraft in 1945, including the Nakajima Kikka, partially inspired by German designs.
During the Korean War on November 8, 1950, United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown flying in an F-80, intercepted two North Korean MiG-15s near the Yalu River and shot them down in the first jet-to-jet dogfight in history.
BOAC operated the first commercial jet service, from London to Johannesburg, in 1952 with the de Havilland Comet.
Modern jets generally cruise at speeds of 0.75 to 0.85 Mach, which is to say, 75 percent to 85 percent of the speed of sound. The speed of sound is a function of air temperature and pressure, and therefore the speed of a jet is not really "constant" in terms of miles per hour, but varies by atmospheric conditions. In general, modern jets fly at about 420 to 580 miles per hour or 680 to 900 km/h.
The fastest military jet plane remains the now-retired SR-71 Blackbird.
The fastest commercial jet plane remains the now-retired Tupolev Tu-144.
NASA and the FAA have recently been promoting Very Light Jets, small general aviation aircraft seating 4 to 8, as a part of a national air taxi service.
See also
Actually, the first operating jet was a British aircraft, the name of which escapes me.