On the aerodynamics of the Gloster E28/39 – a historical perspective

Abstract

As commissioned to demonstrate the feasibility of jet propulsion, the E28/39 needed to exceed the performance of contemporary fighters. But Carter, the chief designer, took the opportunity to look further ahead, and devised an aircraft in which the onset of compressibility effects was taken into account from the beginning of the design. Successful operation over a wide speed range required a shrewd synthesis of previous experience and practice with uncertain material emerging from the research domain. The resulting aircraft showed no significant aerodynamic vices, requiring only minor modifications from its first flight to its participation in diving trials, that took it into hitherto unexplored regions of high subsonic speed. It proved to be fully worthy of its pivotal role at the beginning of a new era in aeronautics.The aerodynamic features of Carter's design are reviewed in relation to the limited state of knowledge at the time. Drawing upon fragmented material, much not previously published, this study enlarges upon, and in places amends, previous accounts of this notable machine.

On the aerodynamics of the Miles M.52 (E.24/43) – a historical perspective

“…In this initial study, the effects of a fuselage had been neglected, so the results would really be applicable only to an all-wing aircraft, but the main interest was on the use of the linear theory of aerodynamics in supersonic flow, which had been published in the inter-war years by Jakob Ackeret of Zürich (11) . It was shown by this that a wing of very series of Whittle engines that had been installed in the Gloster E28 had proved to be reliable and their performance very close to predictions (5) . A bypass version of the W2/500 engine, with an aft fan integral with the power turbine, had been running for test purposes (13) .…”

“…It is But the proportions were similar to those of the Gloster E28, which also had a wide fuselage to accommodate the first Whittle engines to be flown, and its flight characteristics had been exemplary, up to speeds of M = 0 . 75, which had not been reached before in level flight (5) . With the turbojet engine and thrust augmenter fitted, the wing loading of the M.52 at maximum take-off weight would eventually be 58lb/ft 2 , more than twice that of the E28.…”

“…Herbert Piercy at NPL had begun developing sections that had maximum thickness at the 40% chord position, giving more gradual acceleration of the air. The first section of this kind to come into use, designated EC, after the elliptic and cubic equations used to define the shape, was already flying on the Gloster E28/39 in 1943, and would shortly enter service on the F9/40 Meteor (3,5) .…”

“…The first initiative had been the order in 1939 to build the Gloster E28/39, Britain's first jet-propelled aircraft. Events surrounding this have been well summarised (3,4) and a historical review is given elsewhere of the basic decisions taken on its aerodynamic design (5) . From the outset it had been realised that the new type of engine, to be provided by the company Power Jets Ltd, founded by Frank Whittle in 1937, would be able to take this aircraft into the hitherto unexplored region of high-subsonic flight.…”

“…Whittle's turbojet engine and its first airframe had received that support, and the Gloster E28 first flew in May 1941. Over the next four years, it proved to be an outstanding asset, both in verifying the advances in performance that would be achieved with a succession of engine developments, and in supporting research into flight in the high-subsonic region (5) . But it had been recognised that an aircraft with a single engine of the early Whittle type would not have the range and payload capacity required for the air defence role.…”