The jet engine 1

[PeterCharles]

After reading an article in today's paper I'm interested in the answers the members of this forum give to the simple question -
"Who invented the gas turbine jet engine?"

 

[jmw]

A bit late on.
Besides, if he'd got a few hundred K (£) or better he could have bought himself a peerage.
Shameful treatment.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Timelord]

jmw,

Could you explain what a peerage is and how Whittle could have "bought" one, for us yanks? I never heard of such a thing.

Timelord

 

[jmw]

A "K" is a Knighthood.

There are different orders of kighthood e.g. the Order of the Garter (the top, they meet in Windsor Chapel) or a number of lesser types such as KCMG or Knight Commander of St Michael and St George.
Some where near the bottom of the Ks is he Order of the Thistle which is what Tony was rumoured to have been considered for (and despite being Scottish, was not at all happy about, especially as Margaret Thatcher became a Baroness.)
Below that are the "Gongs" like OBE (order of the British Empire otherwise known as "Other Bugger's Efforts) or MBE (Member of the British Empire; My own Bloody Efforts) and so on.

However, above knighthoods are Peerages awarded by the Queen which used to be hereditary and most/all of which are now life Peerages. (technically awarded by the Queen, but actually mostly by the Prime Minister in his New Years Honours).
This peerage used to entitle the Lord to sit in the House of Lords (till Tony Blair decided to change the system).

Actually, Tony is alleged to have discovered Life Peerages to be what is called " a nice little earner".
He, or his party, are alleged to have been receiving "Cash for Honours".

A number of his cronies and other rich folk donated huge sums to the Labour Party funds and would get Peerages, some also got posts in Government and some others got some other kind of benefit such as a lucrative contract to produce flu vacines or similar.
The only notional drawback is that this is illegal.
This isn't simply "not inhaling" but somewhat more serious.

A google for Cash for honours" should produce some background to this.
e.g.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,1972222,00.html

Hence, while an honest Knighthood is pretty nice to get, an Honest peerage is even better.

The point being that Sir Frank had to wait for ever to get his honest knighthood but got next to nothing financially. If he had been properly recompensed for his invention i.e. what he could have expected if he had been allowed to profit from it himself, then he could have bought himself a peerage. Except, as a man of integrity he wouldn't have even considered it.


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Timelord]

jmw,

Thanks for the explaination. It seems like "politics is politics" on both sides of the pond, somehow it seems just a bit sleazy to the common man.

Timelord

 

[KENAT]

Almost completely off topic but nice explanation jmw, star for you.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[DarthSoilsGuy]

what i heard growing up..

1. Germany invented it and then started to work at BMW after the war.

2. Governments don't steal, they acquire.

 

[PeterCharles]

A lie, repeated often enough ........

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bljetengine.htm

 

[AMN4]

Another interesting tidbit, apparently this guy has invented the jet-powered beer cooler.

http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/index.html

Sorry, it has been a slow day at the office.

 

[berkshire]

Peter Charles

Maybe this version is a little more palatable.

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Whittle-jet/info/info.php

My Sheet metal instructor when I was in Technical college was one of the men who worked on the E28/29. He described how a large portion of the aircraft was fabricated in a shed halfway between the main factory at Brockworth and a Pub called "The Air Balloon", to keep the aircraft away from prying eyes and enemy bombers.
B.E.

 

[jmw]

Of course, the reason there are always disputes as to who was the "first" is because when the time is right, many such developments are almost inevitable.
The inventiveness of man often points to a solution but the necessary engineering and science is not always available. Certainly the engineering and the science must be in place for a successful forward step.
Leonardo (who else?) had drawn up a parachute but never, apparently, tested it. The parachute had to wait for hot air balloons to give sufficient altitude with uncluttered descent for the first testing.
SO, with the jet engine, evidently the science, the engineering and the imperative were all present (wars are often the biggest spur for development) and thus conflicting claims can arise.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[PeterCharles]

Ah, if I had a £ for every time I passed The Air Balloon on my way to college in Cheltenham I'd be a rich man....

 

[zeusfaber]

If I had 50p for every time I'd been stuck behind a broken-down lorry there, I wouldn't be doing too badly either.

A.

 

[berkshire]

zeusfaber
You could always go up Birdlip instead.
Now there's a place to get, stuck, behind a broken down lorry.
B.E.

 

[plasgears]

Read 'Gas Turbine Engines' by an English author about ten years ago, publisher PTL or similar. He treats the history of the subject, and you'll be surprised how many independent players were in the early history. Another revelation was how early the turbofan was considered. He describes that the Russians were doing a great deal of gas turbine design and development before the 'Nene' debacle.