Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[redelitev6]

Anybody been watching the BBC 4 programme about the Jet age? hard to imagine now but we really did lead the world in jet technology just after the war , sad to see it all go pear shaped after some bad planning ( selling jet engines to the Russains , much to Stalins amazement ! ) how far we've fallen

[Rog]

Watched one other night. Quite interesting, took me back to when I was little and M&D took me to Heathrow to watch the planes and I recall seeing a Comet.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

It was also the Comet disasters, if I remember correctly, that gave the Americans the lead with the Boeing 707 becoming the jet for the airlines to buy, although the Comet was the first to fly and was doing well before the crashes due to metal fatigue.

Never forget also that the German's had developed jet technology, with in particular the ME262 being the World's first operational jet fighter.  I have not seen the documentary yet, but I would be surprised if the Russians had not already captured the jet technology, and some German scientists during their drive to Berlin. I do know that Stalin's was surprised, as you say, by the British sending them jet engines and associated 'secrets'.

[omegod]

It was also the Comet disasters, if I remember correctly, that gave the Americans the lead with the Boeing 707 becoming the jet for the airlines to buy, although the Comet was the first to fly and was doing well before the crashes due to metal fatigue.

Never forget also that the German's had developed jet technology, with in particular the ME262 being the World's first operational jet fighter.  I have not seen the documentary yet, but I would be surprised if the Russians had not already captured the jet technology, and some German scientists during their drive to Berlin. I do know that Stalin's was surprised, as you say, by the British sending them jet engines and associated 'secrets'.

Bleedin square windows

[Lizzie_Zoom]

It was also the Comet disasters, if I remember correctly, that gave the Americans the lead with the Boeing 707 becoming the jet for the airlines to buy, although the Comet was the first to fly and was doing well before the crashes due to metal fatigue.

Never forget also that the German's had developed jet technology, with in particular the ME262 being the World's first operational jet fighter.  I have not seen the documentary yet, but I would be surprised if the Russians had not already captured the jet technology, and some German scientists during their drive to Berlin. I do know that Stalin's was surprised, as you say, by the British sending them jet engines and associated 'secrets'.

Bleedin square windows

Indeed, cracks were found to radiate from those areas.

[Gaffers]

BOAC (Now BA) have a lot to answer for as well in their design specification which, when delivered, they didn't want.  Prats.

[tigers_gonads]

Must admit i've been walking around with a semi since watching the lightnings again   
God, I miss them 

Yup, the orignal comet's design was seriously flawed but what was so typical of the good old brits was the amount of bitching, in fighting between god knows how many companys operating at the time.
That imo screwed up the industry.  A classic case of too many cooks spoils the broth 

As for Duncan Sands and Mountbatton, they should have been shot as traitors imo.

The vicky 10 was designed to get in and out of smallish and high runways that we had scattered around the empire at the time. Hence the massive thrust (for a subsonic airliner) and high lift aerofoyle.  Sadly, it wasn't very economical so lost out to the Boeing 707 / Dc8 series 

Typical of the air ministry of the day to set the specification so narrow.  Nothing has changed with them daft buggers 

The vicky 10 was still quick though. 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Must admit i've been walking around with a semi since watching the lightnings again   
God, I miss them 

Yup, the orignal comet's design was seriously flawed but what was so typical of the good old brits was the amount of bitching, in fighting between god knows how many companys operating at the time.
That imo screwed up the industry.  A classic case of too many cooks spoils the broth 

As for Duncan Sands and Mountbatton, they should have been shot as traitors imo.

The vicky 10 was designed to get in and out of smallish and high runways that we had scattered around the empire at the time. Hence the massive thrust (for a subsonic airliner) and high lift aerofoyle.  Sadly, it wasn't very economical so lost out to the Boeing 707 / Dc8 series 

Typical of the air ministry of the day to set the specification so narrow.  Nothing has changed with them daft buggers 

The vicky 10 was still quick though. 

That was one beautiful airliner

.........and for those too young to remember it this is what we are talking about:



So impressive!

[tigers_gonads]

Must admit i've been walking around with a semi since watching the lightnings again   
God, I miss them 

Yup, the orignal comet's design was seriously flawed but what was so typical of the good old brits was the amount of bitching, in fighting between god knows how many companys operating at the time.
That imo screwed up the industry.  A classic case of too many cooks spoils the broth 

As for Duncan Sands and Mountbatton, they should have been shot as traitors imo.

The vicky 10 was designed to get in and out of smallish and high runways that we had scattered around the empire at the time. Hence the massive thrust (for a subsonic airliner) and high lift aerofoyle.  Sadly, it wasn't very economical so lost out to the Boeing 707 / Dc8 series 

Typical of the air ministry of the day to set the specification so narrow.  Nothing has changed with them daft buggers 

The vicky 10 was still quick though. 

That was one beautiful airliner

.........and for those too young to remember it this is what we are talking about:



So impressive!

There are still a few left over at Brize iirc.
They may be held together with Araldite, super glue and gaffer tape but they are still more servicable then the Tristars that are there 

[BazaJT]

Afraid I've not seen the programme,was it not Frank Whittle who pioneered the jet engine?I find it truly sad how far we have fallen,we used to lead the world in so many things and it seems we have just sat on our laurels and frittered it all away.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Afraid I've not seen the programme,was it not Frank Whittle who pioneered the jet engine?I find it truly sad how far we have fallen,we used to lead the world in so many things and it seems we have just sat on our laurels and frittered it all away.

It was, but the German's were running with the idea of jet propulsion at the same time.  It was the German's who had their ME262 in the air first due to the Nazis believing that this was the way forward and giving the project their full support.  Unfortunately Frank Whittle could not obtain RAF support, and had to develop his ideas on his own.  Thus the German's stole the march on jet technology, not only for jet aircraft but importantly for missles, such as for the V weapons programme.  Typically it was the British who were slow in recognising a great invention!!

[Lizzie_Zoom]

.................I would add that if the Allies had not successfully carried out their bombing campaign and destroyed crucial aircraft parts factories and oil facilities the Germans could well have won the war with their acquired jet technology.  The ME262 could have shot everything else out of the sky if their numbers actually flying had been at the planned levels.  The V weapons, especially the V2 could have destroyed more than the blitz ever achieved.  If the intended ballistic missle, the V3 had of gone into production............well we can only now thank God that never happened.  All the V weapon launch sites, including the mobile V2 launch vehicles, were bombed.  The parts, fuel, and the trained pilots for the ME262 simply dried up, and the Allies overran the airfields to find abandoned jet aircraft.

[tigers_gonads]

The first aircraft to fly under jet engine power was the Heinkel He 178 during 1939.
Whittle managed the get his engine fitted into the Gloster E.28/39 during 1941 but the good old air ministry was not interested because it was actually slower then the fastest piston engined fighters of the day.

The Me 262 was a briliant aircraft that would have made a big difference if it wasn't for "agent hitler" sticking his nose in and insisting that it was turned into a bomber 
That truely screwed up the program and by the time they had managed to get the thing into service as a fighter, it was far too late to make much of a difference.

Gloster finally managed to stick 2 of the engines in the meteor which managed to get into service around the end of 1944.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Some seem to forget that we still do lead the way in jet engine technology as used both on the ground and sea and in the sky.

That and our lead in wing design and manufacture, landing gear, ejector seats etc etc etc.....the list goes on.

[Gaffers]

I have always fancied having a go at building a small jet engine.........I have a lot of spare time on my hands this year [strokes chin]