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The History of Airplane Engines

Airplane engines have been evolving over the last century, from the simple inline engine used by the Wright brothers to the high-powered jet engines that are in use today. Most modern airplanes employ either a series of gas turbines that each rotate an attached propeller or jet engines that rely on a powerful rearward thrust of air to propel the aircraft forward. These airplanes require special high-octane jet fuel to prevent fuel-related engine failure.

Early Development
- Sir Isaac Newton developed the first concept of an airplane engine in the eighteenth century. He realized that a large explosion toward the rear of an engine would generate enough force to push it forward at high speed. There were several attempts to build a self-propelled aircraft over the next century, but very few were successful until the Wright brothers made their famed 1903 flight in the Wright Flyer I. The Flyer was powered by an inline internal combustion engine that rotated two propellers. This remained the primary type of aircraft engine until the jet engine was developed in 1930.
Turbochargers
- During World War I, the United States needed a way to boost the power of a standard airplane engine. General Electric landed the contract to develop the country's first turbochargers after winning a demonstration against its competitors in 1917. The turbocharger allowed American planes to fly at a higher altitude and carry more weight than was previously possible with regular internal combustion engines.
Turboprop Engines
- Turboprop engines power many types of civil aircraft. A gas turbine rotates at high speed, turning a propeller as it spins. The propellers in modern turboprop engines have a smaller diameter and more blades than their early predecessors. This design allows for optimum operation at high speeds.
The First Jet Engines
- There is some dispute over who actually invented the first jet airplane engine. Frank Whittle in England and Hans von Ohain in Germany worked independently of each other and both developed their own jet engines during the 1930s. It may have been Von Ohain who built the first operational engine, but Whittle was the first to receive a patent for the invention, filing for it in 1930.
America's First Jet Airplane Engine
- General Electric was again responsible for a major innovation in American airplane engine design during World War II. Using Frank Whittle's jet engine as a prototype, GE produced its I-A engine in 1942. Over the next two years, the engine design underwent improvement, going from 1,250 pounds of thrust to 4,000 pounds of thrust with the J33 jet engine.

Aviation