The Jet Engine

MODULE CODE: TH40018E

MODULE TITLE: Introduction to Airline & Airport Management

STUDENT No.: xxxxxxx

HAND-IN DATE: xxxxxxx 2007

Introduction to Airline & Airport Management,

xxxxxxx University.

Academic year: 2006-07

To the attention of: xxxxxxx

Discuss how the jet engine revolutionised the world of commercial aviation and how future innovations will continue to shape the industry.

This essay shall talk colloquilly about the developments of the jet engine, commercial aviation in general and how future innovations will continue to shape the industry.

In 1903 the Wright brothers; Wilber and Orville, became the first to run and fly a heavier than air machine at Kitty Hawk North Carolina in the United States of America which was a huge success. In 1919, the first scheduled flight from London to Paris was established. In 1927, Charles Lindberg made a huge sensation worldwide by flying nonstop from Paris to New York; today the trans-Atlantic route is one of the most popular among travellers [Pender, 2001].

Following the end of the 1st World War military technology was slowly “released” to the civil aviation industry leading to huge technical improvements. These ranged from radar systems to monitor aircraft movements, radio communications over very long distances, development of light metallic material to build the aircrafts and especially the improvement of existing piston engines and the first initial phases of development of the jet engine. While in the RAF, Frank Whittle studied Griffith’s turbine design and was inspired to further transform Alan Arnold Griffith’s theories about piston engines [Hawthorne, 1991]. In January 1930 Whittle patented his theory for using gas powered turbines for propulsion. This is considered the invention of the jet engine [Pavelec 2007]. In 1936 Dr Hans von Ohain patented his theory of jet propulsion in Germany even though he had no idea of Whittle’s work, he went on to build and run the first aircraft to be powered by jet propulsion, the Heinkel HeS 3 which took to the skies on 27 August 1939, two years later Frank Whittle pioneered the Gloster on May 15th, 1941 [Pavelec, 2007].

The first commercial jet powered aircraft was the Viking G-VJPH, the first purpose built jet aircraft was the de Havilland Comet which first flew on the 27 July 1949 and was introduced into service on 22 January 1952. However, fatal accidents involving the Comet reduced people’s confidence in jet air travel. Despite this, the development of the jet engine had already led aviation to a huge expansion of long haul flights and in the movement of large number of people (and cargos) from country to country. This unstructured expansion created a series of difficulties in the commercial aviation industry ranging from problems related to refuelling and landing in foreign countries, movement of people and goods, flying over the territory of other countries, etc. To overcome these problems, the Chicago Conference was held in December 1944. In this event 54 nations met to develop a multilateral air service agreement worldwide, hence setting up an interim council that was designed to collect, record, and study data concerning international aviation and to make recommendations for its improvements. The improvements included rights granting airlines from a particular country to enter another country’s air space and land at certain airports; this was when the five freedoms of air were introduced [Pender, 2001]. The first freedom of air granted the rights to airlines to fly across the territory of another state without landing but with prior notification. The second freedom of air granted Permission to land in another state for refuelling and/or maintenance. The third allowed passengers and cargo to be carried from own country to another. The fourth gave right for passengers and cargo to be carried from another country back �home’ and the fifth gave the right for passengers to be carried from one owns country to a second country then from that country to a third country.

After World War II had ended, Germany was divided between “Allied” settlements and Soviet settlements. West Berlin housed one of the Allied settlements, an island surrounded by Soviet controlled territory. In June 1948, in a bid to control and overthrow the Allied settlement in West Berlin, the Soviets closed all ground passages to West Berlin, cutting off food and general supplies to the island region. Allied nations responded by flying food and necessary supplies in via air. This method proved to be extremely effective, although the settlements in West Berlin were cut off for nearly a year, daily food and rations fed those who remained. Allied nations realised the importance and need for more chartered carriers. After the Berlin air lift, the US passed the air deregulation act in 1978 which led to an open-skies policy [Pender, 2001].

It was not until the late 1950’s that the jet aircraft really “took off” again with the arrival of the Boeing 707 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-8, both proving to be hugely successful and the 707 still remains in service today. In 1970 Boeing brought one of the world’s most recognised aircraft into service - the Boeing 747 which seats over 400 passengers. By 1972 Airbus had joined the jet aircraft market and launched the A300 and only recently stopped production in July 2007. It was back during the Second World War that the supersonic jet engine was developed; this technology was later used for the first and only supersonic commercial passenger aircraft, the Concord. Concorde made its first commercial flight in 1976, the fastest passenger aircraft to date. Despite its tremendous impact in commercial aviation, Concorde was taken out of service in 2006 due to questionable safety aspects and substantial running and maintenance costs.

The Concorde demonstrated a real technological advancement in aviation and as always, aircraft manufactures aim to develop new innovative designs and concepts. In the past new technologies were stumbled on “almost randomly”, however, today’s new machinery are developed “on request” to satisfy well defined requirements. Recent trends in aviation appear to be towards the development of more refined, economical