The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines [Hardcover]

Bill Gunston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

It was not until Frank Whittle, a young RAF pilot, persisted with no official support and little money, that a practical jet engine was produced in the late 1930s. Even then, it was not put to use until near the end of World War Two. Today, every country in the world is linked by means of jet propelled aircraft. This book gives the story of how jet and turbine engines have been developed and refined over the years, together with a detailed and accessible description of how they work. This updated edition contains recent developments in jet engine technology including thrust vectoring - as displayed at Paris and Farnborough air shows. It also explains the differences between gas turbines, jet propulsion and rocket motors, and details rocket and ramjet engines, turboprops, propfans and helicopter power plants.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Using language understandable to those without an engineering background and avoiding complex mathematical formulae, Bill Gunston explains the differences between gas-turbine, jet, rocket, ramjet and helicopter turbo shaft aero engines and traces their histories from the early days through to today’s complex and powerful units as used in the latest wide-bodied airliners and high performance military jets.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bill Gunston, a former RAF pilot and flying instructor, is perhaps the best-known aviation writer in Britain today, with some 300 books published in a fifty-year writing career. His recent books include Night Fighters: A Development and Combat History (2nd edition, 2003) and World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers: From the Pioneers to the Present Day (2nd edition, 2005).

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International; 2 edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852605863
• ISBN-13: 978-1852605865
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,143,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written book for non-technical readers!, April 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Los Angeles, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines (Hardcover)

This book tells the reader the history and the development of Jet-type aerospace propulsion systems from the early 1900s to present day. This book is written for people with no engineering backgrounds, so it's a very good for people who just want to learn more on this subject.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, December 13, 2002

By 

William Alan Kelly (Lancaster, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines (Hardcover)

Topically speaking this excellent book is probably closer to a college text than it is an introduction to jet engines, yet the material is put forth in a way which is uniquely entertaining from a historical point of view, without heavy mathematical formulas. For someone who has a substantive head start in understaning how a jet engine works, the technical and historical discussions will blend beautifully and provide a type of perspective that a formal classroom often does not have time for. I also find the illustrations to be quite nice. Overall, a great book for those who already have some technical knowledge of the subject.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most excellent book!, March 8, 2000

By 

John Hudson (Seattle, Home of Boeing, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines (Hardcover)

David Taylor, another reviewer, is way off base. This book is one of the finest books I have read describing the functioning, history and development, as well as current trends of gas turbine and jet technology. The author has obviously been around the business for many years, and explores areas that some of us in this business consider leading edge.