Power Jets

Power Jets was a British engineering company established in 1936 to develop Frank Whittle's gas-turbine propulsion concepts. Although it existed for only about a decade as an independent organisation, it played a foundational role in the emergence of the jet age. Its experimental engines demonstrated that a turbine-driven propulsion system could produce useful thrust and led directly to the first British jet-powered aircraft and to engines used by early operational jet fighters. The company grew out of Whittle's work on gas-turbine propulsion during the 1920s and his 1930 patent for a jet engine design. Power Jets was formed on 27 January 1936 by Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling and Lancelot Law Whyte, with the latter three connected to the investment bank O. T. Falk & Partners. The company initially lacked secure government sponsorship and faced persistent financial and manufacturing constraints. It rented premises from British Thomson-Houston at Rugby, Warwickshire, borrowed skilled workers from that company and later obtained limited assistance from the Royal Air Force. By 1938 it had moved to British Thomson-Houston's works at Lutterworth, where its workforce reached approximately 25 people by early 1940. Power Jets' first major engineering programme was the Whittle Unit, or WU, a series of experimental test-bed engines. The first WU ran on 12 April 1937 and served as a proof of concept rather than an airworthy aircraft engine. The design used a centrifugal compressor, combustion chambers and a turbine to produce a continuous jet. Its operation attracted increasing interest from the Air Ministry and the Aeronautical Research Committee, helping persuade British authorities that Whittle's concept warranted official development. The W.1 was the company's first engine designed for flight. Built with assistance from British Thomson-Houston, it powered the Gloster E.28/39, which made Britain's first jet-powered flight on 15 May 1941 after ground testing began in April. This demonstration established the practical value of jet propulsion and encouraged the development of the Gloster Meteor. A related W.1X engine, assembled from spare components, supported taxiing and initial aircraft trials and was subsequently sent to the United States. There it assisted General Electric's work on the I-A, the first American-built jet engine to run, and ultimately informed the J31 production engine. Power Jets also developed the more powerful W.2 family. The programme was initially associated with Rover, but in late 1942 Rover exchanged its jet-engine operation with Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce then took control of production development, while Whittle and Power Jets provided technical input. The resulting Welland engine powered early Gloster Meteors, while further redesign produced the Derwent family, which powered later and faster Meteor variants. Power Jets personnel and the Royal Aircraft Establishment also contributed to experiments with afterburning, then known as reheat, and other advanced propulsion concepts. The company was nationalised in 1944 for £135,000 and renamed Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd. After the Second World War it was merged with the Turbine Division of the Royal Aircraft Establishment to create the National Gas Turbine Establishment. Whittle resigned in 1946 amid disagreement with government policy, and the remaining corporate structure was disestablished in 1948. Its technical legacy continued through British gas-turbine research, Rolls-Royce engine development and the international diffusion of Whittle-related patents.

Power Jets originated in Frank Whittle's effort to make gas-turbine propulsion technically and commercially viable. Whittle had investigated turbine-based aircraft propulsion since the 1920s and received a patent for an engine concept in 1930. On 27 January 1936 he established Power Jets with Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling and Lancelot Law Whyte. The company had no guaranteed government support at first, and its survival depended on finding investors, suppliers and workshop capacity. The firm initially rented space from British Thomson-Houston at Rugby. Whittle's team borrowed fitters from BTH and later obtained limited personnel assistance from the RAF. In 1938 the operation moved to BTH's Lutterworth works. Its early technical work concentrated on the Whittle Unit, a group of experimental engines intended to validate the basic turbojet cycle. The first WU ran on 12 April 1937. It was not intended for flight, but its performance helped attract the attention of Sir Henry Tizard, the Aeronautical Research Committee and the Air Ministry. A significant change in Power Jets' prospects occurred in 1940 when Stanley Hooker encouraged Ernest Hives of Rolls-Royce to visit Lutterworth. Hives offered access to Rolls-Royce's Derby experimental facilities for the manufacture of components. This assistance was important because many conventional suppliers had been unwilling or unable to manufacture the specialised combustion and turbine parts the project required. High Duty Alloys supplied suitable lightweight alloys under its Hiduminium trade name, while Whittle sought straightforward designs that could be made with limited industrial resources. The W.1 represented the transition from experimental machinery to an aircraft engine. It used a double-entry centrifugal compressor, reverse-flow combustion chambers, a single-stage axial turbine and a convergent exhaust nozzle. Developed with British Thomson-Houston, it was selected for the Gloster E.28/39 demonstrator. Ground testing began on 7 April 1941, and the aircraft first flew under jet power on 15 May. Repeated flight trials with improved W.1 engines demonstrated that jet propulsion could work in an operational aircraft and encouraged Gloster to proceed with a jet fighter programme. The W.1X, assembled from W.1 spare parts, supported taxiing and initial hopping trials but was not considered airworthy. It was later shipped to the United States, where it helped General Electric build the I-A, the first US-manufactured jet engine to run. The production derivative, the J31, powered the Bell P-59 Airacomet. In Britain, Power Jets expanded its work through the W.2 series, a higher-thrust development intended for a twin-engined fighter specified by the Air Ministry. Rover was initially responsible for manufacturing the W.2, but its involvement ended in late 1942 after an exchange of facilities with Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce assumed control of the programme and developed the W.2B into the Welland, which powered early Gloster Meteors. Further work on related designs produced the Derwent family. Power Jets remained involved as an adviser and technical contributor, while Rolls-Royce supplied the industrial resources needed for series production. The Derwent and later Derwent V helped give later Meteor variants substantial performance improvements. Power Jets and personnel associated with the Royal Aircraft Establishment also worked on reheat, the injection of additional fuel into the exhaust stream. Flight trials on a Meteor increased speed by roughly 30 to 40 miles per hour. The company was involved in other advanced concepts, including liquid-cooling experiments and an aft ducted fan. In the final years of the war it was also connected with the Miles M.52 supersonic research programme, for which a version of the W.2/700 was considered as the powerplant. The government stopped work on the aircraft and engine programme in February 1946. The existence of Britain's jet-engine work became public in January 1944. In March of that year Power Jets was nationalised and became Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd. After the war it was merged with the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Turbine Division to establish the National Gas Turbine Establishment at Pyestock. Whittle resigned in February 1946, and the last remnants of the company were disestablished in 1948. Although the corporate entity disappeared, its designs, patents and engineering methods influenced British and American jet-engine development for decades.

• 1948

  Final remnants are disestablished

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining corporate structures associated with Power Jets were wound down.

• 1946

  Power Jets is merged into the National Gas Turbine Establishment

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  The postwar merger with the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Turbine Division created the National Gas Turbine Establishment.

• 1944

  Nationalisation of Power Jets

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  The company was nationalised for £135,000 and renamed Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd.

• 1942

  Rolls-Royce assumes control of the W.2 programme

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  Rover exchanged its jet-engine facilities with Rolls-Royce, which then took over industrial development of the W.2.

• 1941

  Gloster E.28/39 makes Britain's first jet-powered flight

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  A Power Jets W.1 engine powered the E.28/39 on its first jet flight on 15 May.

• 1937

  First Power Jets WU engine runs

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  The first Whittle Unit experimental turbojet completed its initial test run on 12 April.

• 1936

  Power Jets is founded

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  Whittle and three associates established Power Jets on 27 January to develop and manufacture jet engines.

• 1930

  Whittle receives a gas-turbine propulsion patent

  [1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  Frank Whittle secured an early patent for a gas-turbine aircraft engine concept, providing the intellectual foundation for Power Jets.

Pioneering British jet-propulsion research and development organisation focused on proving, refining and transferring practical gas-turbine technology for aircraft.

• Experimental turbojet · 1937

  Power Jets WU

  The Whittle Unit was a series of experimental test-bed engines used to validate the turbojet concept. The first unit ran in April 1937. The engines were designed as development hardware rather than aircraft powerplants, and limited funding meant that components were sometimes reused or cannibalised between versions.

• Aircraft turbojet · 1941

  Power Jets W.1

  The W.1 was Power Jets' first engine designed to be suitable for flight. It combined a double-entry centrifugal compressor, reverse-flow combustor, single-stage axial turbine and convergent nozzle. Built with British Thomson-Houston, it powered the Gloster E.28/39 demonstrator during Britain's first jet-powered aircraft flights.

• Experimental aircraft turbojet · 1941

  Power Jets W.1X

  The W.1X was assembled from W.1 spare parts and was not regarded as airworthy. It supported taxiing and initial hopping trials of the Gloster E.28/39 before being sent to the United States, where it helped General Electric develop the first American jet engine to run.

• Aircraft turbojet · 1940

  Power Jets W.2

  The W.2 was a higher-thrust successor to the W.1, developed for a proposed twin-engined jet fighter under Air Ministry Specification F.9/40. Its industrial development passed through Rover and then Rolls-Royce, leading to production derivatives used in early jet fighters.

• Aircraft turbojet · 1942

  Power Jets W.2B

  The W.2B was a Rover-developed version of the W.2. After further Rolls-Royce development as the W.2B/23, it entered production as the Welland, powering early Gloster Meteor aircraft. The design also formed part of the technical lineage of General Electric's I-A engine.

• Aircraft turbojet

  Power Jets W.2/500

  The W.2/500 was a revised W.2B design that achieved its design speed during its first test run. It and the Rover B.26 provided the basis for the straight-through-combustor Rolls-Royce Derwent 1, an engine used in later versions of the Gloster Meteor.

• Advanced aircraft turbojet

  Power Jets W.2/700

  The W.2/700 incorporated changes to the compressor impeller, diffuser and blower casing. It eventually achieved Whittle's target of approximately 80 percent compressor efficiency at a pressure ratio of 4:1 and was considered for the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft.

• Experimental turbojet

  Power Jets W.3X

  The W.3X was a proposed straight-through engine design. It was not built, but it formed part of Power Jets' exploration of alternative gas-turbine configurations.

• 1946

  Termination of the Miles M.52-associated developmentOther

  Background

  Power Jets had been developing a version of the W.2/700 for Britain's planned high-speed Miles M.52 research aircraft.

  Action taken

  The British government ordered the aircraft and associated engine work to stop in February 1946.

  Aftermath

  The cancellation ended this particular route toward British supersonic research, while Power Jets was simultaneously being absorbed into the National Gas Turbine Establishment.

  Source

• 1944

  Acceptance of nationalisationStrategy

  Background

  The British government sought direct control of strategic jet-engine research during wartime and held discussions with Whittle and the Air Ministry.

  Action taken

  Power Jets was nationalised for £135,000 and continued as Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The change removed the company from private ownership and prepared its postwar integration into the National Gas Turbine Establishment.

  Nationalisation payment. £135,000 (1944)

  Source

• 1942

  Transfer of the W.2 industrial programme to Rolls-RoyceStrategy

  Background

  Rover had been selected to manufacture the W.2, but difficulties and competing industrial priorities led to an exchange of Rover's jet-engine factory with Rolls-Royce's tank-engine facilities.

  Action taken

  Rolls-Royce assumed control of the W.2 programme while Power Jets and Whittle continued to provide technical advice.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement produced the Welland and Derwent engine families and connected Power Jets' designs with series production for the Gloster Meteor.

  Source

• 1946

  Power Jets is merged into the National Gas Turbine Establishment.[1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  After the Second World War, Power Jets was combined with the Turbine Division of the Royal Aircraft Establishment to form the National Gas Turbine Establishment.

• 1946

  Frank Whittle resigns from Power Jets.[1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change · Other

  Whittle left the organisation during the period in which the Miles M.52 programme was halted, citing disagreement with official government policies.

• 1944

  Power Jets is nationalised and reorganised as Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd.[1]Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following discussions with the Air Ministry, Frank Whittle agreed to the nationalisation of the company. The transaction valued Power Jets at £135,000 and placed its research within a government-controlled framework.

1. 1Power Jetsen.wikipedia.org