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The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly using the thrust from a turbojet engine. It was a private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. It first flew on 27 August 1939, piloted by Erich Warsitz. This flight had been preceded by a short hop three days earlier.

He 178
He 178 replica at Rostock-Laage Airport
Role	Experimental prototype/Pioneer aircraft Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Heinkel
First flight	27 August 1939

Development

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In 1936, a young engineer named Hans von Ohain had taken out a patent on using the exhaust from a gas turbine as a means of propulsion.

He presented his idea to Ernst Heinkel, who agreed to help develop the concept. Von Ohain successfully demonstrated his first engine, the Heinkel HeS 1 in 1937, and plans were quickly made to test a similar engine in an aircraft. The He 178 was designed for von Ohain's third engine design, the HeS 3, which burned diesel fuel. The result was a small aircraft with a metal fuselage of conventional configuration and construction. The jet intake was in the nose, and the aircraft was fitted with tailwheel undercarriage. The main landing gear was intended to be retractable, but remained fixed in "down" position throughout the flight trials.

The high-mounted wooden wings had the characteristic Günter brothers elliptical trailing edge. Photos showing a "straight wing" (straight-line-taper in the wing planform, for both the leading and trailing edges) were of the second prototype He 178 V2, which never flew under power.

The aircraft made its maiden flight on 27 August 1939, only days before Germany invaded Poland.[1] Erich Warsitz described the first jet flight in history, "I moved the throttle levers gently forward. As the aircraft began to roll I was initially rather disappointed at the thrust, for she did not shoot forward as the 176 had done, but moved off slowly. By the 300-metre mark she was moving very fast. Despite several attempts I could not retract the undercarriage. It was not important, all that mattered was that she flew. The rudder and all flaps worked almost normally, the turbine howled. Now I would have to take my chances with the landing, losing altitude by side-slipping. I restored her to the correct attitude just before touching down, made a wonderful landing and pulled up just short of the Warnow."[2]

Heinkel had developed the turbojet engine and the testbed aircraft, the Heinkel He 178 V1, in great secrecy. They were kept secret even from the German air force, and on 1 November 1939, after the German victory in Poland, Heinkel arranged a demonstration of the jet for officials, which Hermann Göring, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, did not attend. Ernst Udet and Erhard Milch, Minister of Aircraft Production and Supply watched the aircraft perform, but were unimpressed.[3] While a technical success, speeds were limited to 598 kilometres per hour (372 mph) even when fitted with more powerful HeS 6 5.8 kN (1,300 lbf) thrust engines[4] and combat endurance was only 10 minutes.

Undeterred, Heinkel decided to embark on the development of a twin-engine jet fighter, the He 280 as a private venture using what had been learned from the He 178 prototype.

The He 178 V1 airframe was placed on display at the Berlin Aviation Museum, where it was destroyed in an air raid in 1943.[5]

Significance

Ernst Heinkel was disappointed by the lack of official interest in his private-venture jet. In his autobiography, he attributes that to the failure of the leaders of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium to understand the advantages of jet propulsion and what a breakthrough the He 178 represented.[6] In fact, unknown to Heinkel, the Reich Air Ministry was already developing its own jets.[7]

Specifications

Data from ^{[citation needed]}

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 7.48 m (24 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
• Height: 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 9.1 m² (98 sq ft)
• Airfoil: root: Günter symmetrical 11% ; tip: Günter symmetrical 7%[8]
• Empty weight: 1,620 kg (3,571 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 1,998 kg (4,405 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Heinkel HeS 3 turbojet engine, 4.41 kN (992 lbf) thrust

Performance

• Maximum speed: 598 km/h (372 mph, 323 kn)
• Range: 200 km (120 mi, 110 nmi)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Gloster E.28/39
• Heinkel He 280

Related lists

• List of firsts in aviation
• List of German aircraft projects, 1939–45
• List of jet aircraft of World War II
• List of military aircraft of Germany
• List of World War II military aircraft of Germany

References

Bibliography

• Koehler, H Dieter (1999), Ernst Heinkel – Pionier der Schnellflugzeuge, Bonn: Bernard & Graefe, ISBN 978-3-7637-6116-6.
• Smith, JR; Kay, Antony L (1972), German Aircraft of the Second World War, London: Putnam, ISBN 978-0-85177-836-5.
• Warsitz, Lutz (2009), The First Jet Pilot – The Story of German Test Pilot Erich Warsitz, England: Pen and Sword, ISBN 978-1-84415-818-8.

External links

• Erich Warsitz (official website), including rare videos of the Heinkel He 178 and audio commentaries.

На других языках

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[de] Heinkel He 178

Die Heinkel He 178 war ein Versuchsflugzeug der Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke. Es war das erste Flugzeug der Welt, das von einem Strahltriebwerk angetrieben wurde. Der Erstflug mit Strahlantrieb wurde am 27. August 1939, wenige Tage vor dem Beginn des Zweiten Weltkriegs, von Testpilot Erich Warsitz in Rostock-Marienehe durchgeführt. Er dauerte rund acht Minuten.

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- [en] Heinkel He 178

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[fr] Heinkel He 178

Le Heinkel He 178 est le premier avion à turboréacteur de l'histoire aéronautique, conçu dans l'entre-deux-guerres par la société allemande Heinkel. Il vola pour la première fois à l'été 1939, juste avant le début de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

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[it] Heinkel He 178

L'Heinkel He 178 era un aereo sperimentale da ricerca progettato dall'ingegnere tedesco Hans von Ohain e sviluppato dall'azienda aeronautica tedesca Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke nei tardi anni trenta. Caratterizzato dalla configurazione alare monoplana ad ala alta e dalla cellula di costruzione interamente metallica, fu il primo aereo a volare con motore esclusivamente a reazione ed il primo velivolo di questo tipo realmente utilizzabile.

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[ru] Heinkel He 178

Heinkel He 178 — первый в мире самолёт с турбореактивным двигателем. Первый полёт совершил 27 августа 1939 года.

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