JET EXPERTS WANT TO SEE THEIR ENGINES MADE

Chronicle (Levin), 16 April 1946, Page 8

JET EXPERTS WANT TO SEE THEIR ENGINES MADE

LOISPON,; April 14. . Gharges of ; impedifig 'ihe- .' mahufac--ture of .j.et plahqs, Jh|:Jhj;ding"thocre,e.Qr.2break^jg Mdtedij, Were made a^e^nst the Ministry of Aircraft Production; by members of the ' ' baekroom*, ; jet team, says the Daily Mail. They alleged: tha.t the instructions had been issued from a "high level" in the Ministry iqrbidding them to design and build jet planes, but to oceupy their time On research. Pointing out that Power Jets, Ltd., from which Group-Captain F. Whittle also resigned in February,, was formerly a private concern and. was now one of the Ministry ol Aircraft Production 's research works, the Daily Mail says tlie brealc-up qf Group-Captain Whittle 's team comes at a time when Britain is verging, on further achievements in the application of the je.t and gas-turbine propulsion theories. The members of the team are quoted as saying that they were forced to work in accordance with official forms and circulars. They were not permitted to build practical jet eugines for immediate use. Tlie chi-ef mechanieal designer said: '■ '-The whole thing has been rigged by the aircraft industry. They had obviously made up their minds to. destroy us. Certain well-known figures in theaircraft industry have long, been maki ng- offensive remarks about Power Jets.." An offieial of Power Jets said it had always been intended that Power Je.ts should concentrate on research development aud leave the actual manufacture of operational engines to the rest of the- industry. The Parliamen-tary Secretary of the Ministry of Supply (Mr. A. Woodburn) said it was sad to break up' a team which had worked' weli during the- war, but for peacetime. development the Government had de'cided to. separate research from production. Power Jets,, which was a Government-sponsoired company, was now responsible for research. Production would be in the handfl of aero-engine companxes-. The Daily Herald's aeronauticat correspondent says that of tlio 16 jet engineers who resigned' fronx Pbwer Jets,, Ltd., only two wall remain in the: aircraft irrdustry. The rest have takeu impo-rtant jobs on jet development as'

1 ** applied to surface transport. GroupCaptain Whittle is known to have plans for sinai! gas turbines for use in road v-ehicles, provid'ing simplicity, a low , first cost and fuel eeonomy combmed ; with eonsiderably greater power than produeed from, the conventionaT piston engine of corresponding size.