At the Beginnings of Turbojet Aviation

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of invention of turbojet engine that later became the main type of power plant in aviation. It describes the motivations for the inception of these works, the role of private business in their development, the history of the tests of the first jet aircrafts, and the influence of WWII on the emergence of jet aviation. The sources used in the preparation of this article include the memoirs of the pioneers in jet engine development Hans von Ohain, Frank Whittle, and Arkhip Lyulka, aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel, and test pilots Erich Warsitz and John Grirson. The analysis of relevant Russian archival documents allowed explaining the causes of turbojet aviation lagging behind in the USSR.