Jet Engine

Before Power Jet Engines there was only piston driven propeller engines, this was a major leap for aviation, but Frank Whittle thought that there was a better and faster. Frank was a pilot, engineer, and inventor who made the next steps to take the concept into the real world and make it operational.  It was the 1930's when Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain independently developed the first operational jet engine. This development transformed aviation in the war and changed commercial flying forever. Aircrafts can now soar faster, higher and farther than before. The first flight of the power jet engine was April 7, 1941 at Brockworth Airport in west England. 

The introduction of jet engines into the aviation world it marked a turning point in history for modern aviation, it turned air travel from a slow, inconvenient way of transportation into a fast an efficient way to go around the world. Before jet engines it was only piston driven propellers which limited speed, altitude, and range. Jet engines changed that by producing continuous thrust through high-speeds which allowed planes to fly faster, higher, and farther than before. Commercial Aviation saw the most change, with the rise of jet powered airlines in the 1950's and 60's. Planes like the Boeing 707 and later 747 passengers could travel across oceans in hours instead of days. This accessibility fueled tourism, globalization, and transport and export goods. 

Jet engines operate on the fundamental principles of engineering like physics. At the center of the process is Newtons Third Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In a jet engine air is drawn in through the intake and compressed by a series of rotating blades mixed with fuel and ignites in the combustion chamber. The high-pressure exhaust gases are pushed through the nozzle generating thrust in the opposite direction. This generates propulsion making the plane fly giving it speed and lift. The process is made of four key parts: intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust. Each part is engineered to be maximized for efficiency and power. 

In the future of jet propulsion, we can expect to see changes into the designs like noise reduction, fuel consumption, and global impact. NASA and other global companies are developing electrified propulsion systems that use electric motors powered by batteries rather than fuels. This development could solve all of the problems I described. It cuts fuel consumption and emissions by up to 50%. It being electric causes the engine to be quieter in comparison to fuel powered jet engines.  the solution to the problem of having less power than regular engines is the use of more of the electric engines distributed along the wings of the plane.