We know how Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first flights at Kitty Hawk. Wright brothers were born in Ohio, and it was there that they first conceived of the Wright Flyer. You might not realize how quickly aviation got off from there.Trans-Atlantic flights were achievable within two decades of that 12-second flight from the dunes of Kitty Hawk.
Furthermore, by 1927, Charles Lindbergh had completed a nonstop flight from New York to Paris.
However, as World War I drew to a close, air superiority became increasingly important to the entire world. Both sides benefited from the new technology in battle, reconnaissance, troop movements, and defense.
General Electric was contacted by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, NASA's precursor) for assistance in increasing the performance of the Liberty airplane engine. The Liberty engine was a modular design that held four or six cylinders together by a two-part cast aluminum crankcase with a single overhead camshaft for each cylinder bank. It was designed by Packard and Hall-Scott motor company engine designers and built through various contracts by many automobile manufacturers. The engines could have one or two banks, allowing inline fours and sixes, as well as V-8 and V-12 engines, to be built.
Unfortunately, when the plane traveled from sea level to high altitudes, the engine's rated horsepower reduced dramatically, slowing the engine and reducing the jet's mobility.
It was clear that something had to be done.
How Sanford Moss Changed Flight Permanently
In the same year that Orville and Wilbur got the Wright Flyer off the ground at Kitty Hawk, General Electric hired a young engineer named Sanford Moss to work in the GE Turbine branch. Moss had a Ph.D. in gas turbine technology from Cornell University and was well-known at GE for his groundbreaking compressor designs. By the time NACA approached GE for assistance, he had already made substantial contributions to blast furnace and pneumatic tube system designs.
For GE and NACA, Moss took on the task of revamping the Liberty engine. He believed he could densify air before it reached the Liberty engine's intake by modifying the compressor design he had used for the furnaces and pneumatic systems. He dubbed this device, which pumped more air into piston cylinders than usual, a supercharger. The engine produced 99.4 percent of its rated sea level horsepower during its first use test, which took place in 1918 at 14,000 feet near Pikes Peak.
The experiment was deemed effective after the power outage was rectified.
The first Le Pere aircraft equipped with a newly built turbocharged Liberty engine took to the skies in July 1919. The conflict had ended by that point. The plane's speed increased by 52 percent once the newly developed engine was installed. Planes equipped with the Moss supercharger established numerous world altitude records.
His design laid the foundation for further advancements to come.
GE Ushers in the Jet Age
Moss went back to work on his supercharger. His supercharged engines, which were modified from their 1920 design but used the same basic concept, were used in planes like the Boeing B-17 Bomber, the P-38 fighter, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the Consolidated B-24 Bomber during World War II.
Meanwhile, at GE, a group known as the Hush-Hush guys built on Moss' theories. These engineers worked on the I-A, a top-secret prototype that was eventually nicknamed. The XP-59A, America's first jet, took off from Lake Muroc, California in 1942, powered by GE turbocharged engines.
Other Applications for GE Turbines
Sanford Moss changed more than aviation when he created that remarkable design over a century ago. Other sectors of GE, where gas turbine technology plays a large role in the company's business strategy, include derivatives of his concept. Nuclear reactors, heat recovery steam generators, solar panel farms, oil-producing equipment, and measuring and control systems all require turbines and related items. Furthermore, a GE turbine system is now the world record holder for powering the most efficient combined-cycle plant.
The current status of GE Aviation
GE Aviation is still one of General Electric's largest subsidiaries and a major player in the aviation industry. They have facilities in North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Quebec, and are headquartered in Ohio.
GE Aviation is still producing jet engines today. They manufacture a wide range of aircraft, including turbojets, turbofans, and turboprops. They also manufacture turboshaft engines, which are commonly seen in helicopters. They've lately created industrial and marine aero-derivative engines for warships such as the Royal Danish Navy's SF300 class.
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