View source for Gloster E.1/44

{{Short description|British prototype jet fighter design}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox aircraft
|name =Gloster E.1/44
|image = Gloster E1-44 2.jpg
|caption = TX148, the third prototype on a test flight, {{circa|1949}}
|type =Fighter
|manufacturer =[[Gloster Aircraft Company]]
|designer =[[George Carter (engineer)|George Carter]]
|first_flight =9 March 1948
|introduction =
|retired =Cancelled
|status =
|primary_user =[[Royal Air Force]] (intended)
|more_users =
|produced =
|number_built = 3 (4th prototype not completed)
|unit cost =
|variants =
}}
The '''Gloster E.1/44''' was a British single-engined jet fighter design of the [[Second World War]], developed and produced by the British aviation firm [[Gloster Aircraft Company]]. It was amongst the first [[jet propulsion|jet-propelled]] aircraft to be developed and was produced on an experimental basis.
Following favourable testing of Britain's first jet propelled aircraft, the [[turbojet]]-powered [[Gloster E.28/39]] in 1941, there was considerable interest in the application of the new propulsion technology to fighter aircraft. During 1942, work commenced upon a development of a larger twin-engined fighter aircraft, which became the [[Gloster Meteor]], the first [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] jet fighter. British industrial manufacturer [[Rover Company|Rover]], who had already been contracted to produce the [[Power Jets W.2]] jet engine, had considerable difficulty in achieving sufficient engine production during the war. Concerned by the wider production consequences of this shortage, the [[Air Ministry]] recognised the potential value of adopting a single-engined aircraft over the twin-engine configuration of the Meteor, leading to the issuing of [[List of Air Ministry Specifications|Specification E.5/42]], calling for the design and manufacture of such a fighter.
Gloster was amongst those companies to receive the specification and produced a single-engine fighter design with a low-wing [[monoplane]] configuration, which was to be equipped with a highly [[tapering (mathematics)|tapered]] wing and a [[T-tail]], as well as being alternatively powered by either a single [[de Havilland Goblin|Halford H.1]] or [[Rolls-Royce Nene]] engine, fed by air intakes in the wing roots. During late 1943, work on a pair of prototypes, as the ''GA.1'', commenced. Engine manufacturing problems were mostly rectified following the reassignment of production activity to [[Rolls-Royce Limited]]. Gloster decided to refine the GA.1 independently, until the Air Ministry issued Specification E.1/44 during 1944, which sought an experimental jet-powered aircraft powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene, leading to the revised ''GA.2''. Progress on the new fighter was slow, Gloster having concentrated on the development and production of the Meteor. On 9 March 1948, the second E.1/44 performed its [[maiden flight]] at [[MOD Boscombe Down|RAF Boscombe Down]]. Testing revealed unpromising performance and characteristics and Gloster recognised the Meteor as having more development potential and the aircraft never entered production.
==Development==
===Background===
The development of the [[turbojet]]-powered E.1/44 was the product of a collaboration between the [[Gloster Aircraft Company]] and Sir [[Frank Whittle]]'s firm, [[Power Jets]] Ltd. Whittle had formed Power Jets in March 1936 to develop his ideas of jet propulsion, with Whittle as the company's chief engineer.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 45–46.</ref> For several years, attracting financial backers and aviation firms prepared to take on Whittle's radical ideas was difficult; in 1931, [[Armstrong-Siddeley]] had evaluated and rejected Whittle's proposal, finding it to be technically sound but at the limits of engineering capability.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 43–44.</ref> Securing funding was a persistently worrying issue throughout the early development of the engine.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, pp. 92–94.</ref> The first Whittle prototype jet engine, the [[Power Jets WU]], began running trials in early 1937; shortly afterwards, Sir [[Henry Tizard]], chairman of the [[Aeronautical Research Committee]] and the [[Air Ministry]] gave the project their support.<ref>Pavelec 2007, pp. 48–50.</ref>
On 28 April 1939, Whittle made a visit to the premises of the Gloster Aircraft Company, where he met several key figures, such as [[George Carter (engineer)|George Carter]], Gloster's chief designer.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, p. 139.</ref> Carter took a keen interest in Whittle's project, particularly when he saw the operational [[Power Jets W.1]] engine; Carter quickly made several rough proposals of various aircraft designs powered by the engine. Independently, Whittle had also been producing proposals for a high-altitude jet-powered bomber; following the start of the [[Second World War]] and the [[Battle for France]], a greater national emphasis on fighter aircraft arose.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, pp. 156, 165.</ref> Power Jets and Gloster quickly formed a mutual understanding around mid-1939.<ref>Golley and Gunston 2010, p. 127.</ref>
In September 1939, the Air Ministry issued a specification to Gloster for an aircraft to test one of Whittle's turbojet designs in flight, resulting in the development of the [[Gloster E.28/39]], the first British jet aircraft. The name adopted for this initial [[proof of concept]] aircraft, ''E.28/39'', originated from the aircraft having been developed in conformance with the 28th "Experimental" [[List of Air Ministry Specifications|specification issued by the Air Ministry]] in 1939.<ref name = "1971 677">Flight International 13 May 1971, p. 677.</ref> While the specification had included provisions for armaments, these were not initially included and the aircraft was principally intended to demonstrate the viability, qualities, and potential value of jet propulsion in broad terms, not to immediately produce a combat aircraft.<ref>Grierson, John. ''Jet Flight.'' London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co. Ltd, 1946.</ref> On 15 May 1941, Gloster's Chief Test Pilot, [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Gerry Sayer]] flew the aircraft under jet power for the first time from [[RAF Cranwell]], near [[Sleaford]] in [[Lincolnshire]], in a flight lasting 17 minutes.<ref>T.N.A. AIR62/42/198</ref><ref name = "1971 678">Flight International 13 May 1971, p. 678.</ref>
===Proposals===
The successful testing of the E.28/39 had directly led to the design of the twin-engined [[Gloster Meteor]] jet fighter from 1940. During 1942, engine manufacturer [[Rover Company|Rover]], who had already been contracted to produce the [[Power Jets W.2]] jet engine, had experienced production problems and the Air Ministry decided to issue Specification E.5/42 for an aircraft which would only be powered by one engine. Gloster produced a design which developed into a low-wing [[monoplane]] equipped with a highly [[tapering (mathematics)|tapered]] wing and a [[T-tail]] arrangement, along with a [[conventional landing gear|tailwheel undercarriage]]. It was to be powered by a [[de Havilland Goblin|Halford H.1]] or [[Rolls-Royce Nene]] engine fed by intakes in the wing roots. During late 1943, construction activity on a pair of prototype ''GA.1''s, commenced.<ref name="Goulding p146">Goulding 1986, p. 146.</ref><ref name="James p306-7">James 1971, pp. 306–307.</ref>
The difficulties of manufacture were resolved by [[Rolls-Royce Limited]] exchanging jet engine production (as such, the W2 engine would become known as the [[Rolls-Royce Welland|Welland]]) for [[Rolls-Royce Meteor|Meteor tank engine]] production with Rover, Rolls-Royce overcoming the production problems. Demand for a single-engined design dissipated and the fledgling GA.1 was no longer required. Gloster continued to work on the design privately, intending to adopt a Halford H.1 engine to power the type instead of the W2/Welland.
During 1944, the Air Ministry issued Specification E.1/44 for an experimental jet-powered aircraft that would be powered the new Rolls-Royce Nene engine. Gloster's design team decided to approach the specified requirements of this new specification by developing a new design,  ''GA.2''. It was not based on the earlier E.5/42, being a significantly larger aeroplane.<ref name="Goulding p151">Goulding 1986, p.151.</ref> During 1944, after reviewing submissions, the Air Ministry issued a contract to Gloster for a prototype; this order was joined during late 1945 by additional orders for the completion of a further three aircraft.<ref name="Mason fighter p356-7">Mason 1992, pp. 356–357.</ref>
==Design==
[[File:E1-44.jpg|thumb|Gloster E.1/44 ''SM809'', fitted with the original tail unit, circa 1944]]
The Gloster E.1/44 was a [[stressed-skin]] [[mid-wing]]ed monoplane design, featuring a relatively broad fuselage and a wide-track undercarriage. The design bore little resemblance to the twin-jet Meteor and only superficial similarities to the earlier pioneering E.28/39, being a larger and significantly heavier aircraft. Unlike the E.28/39, which had a central air intake in the nose into a straight-through duct to reach its turbojet engine, the E.1/44's Nene received air via a pair of semi-circular air intakes ahead of the wing roots.<ref name = "flight 429 430">''Flight'' 1948, pp. 429–430.</ref> The [[tailplane]] was mounted midway up the rear fuselage, set beneath the single [[Vertical stabilizer|fin]] and [[rudder]]. Unlike the earlier E.5/42, a widely spaced [[tricycle landing gear]] arrangement was adopted for the E.1/44.<ref name="Goulding p151-2"/><ref name = "flight 430 432">''Flight'' 1948, pp. 430, 432.</ref>
The unusually wide fuselage of the E.1/44 was made in sections, the front of which being attached to the central section via four [[longeron]]s.<ref name = "flight 430"/> The centre fuselage, composed of reinforced Z-section frames and heavy double-channel section frames, accommodated the Nene and attachment points for the centre-section of the wing. Set into the sides of the central section were the air intakes, which featured boundary-layer bleeds and were readily detachable.<ref name = "flight 430"/> The rear fuselage section used semi-[[monocoque]] construction, reinforced by several Z-section frames and top-hat stringers; the detachable tail section featured a similar structure. Apart from the upper portion of the [[fin]], which was composed of wood for its insulating properties, the tail unit was an all-metal, stressed-skin unit. [[Rivet]]s were used to attach the sections.<ref name = "flight 430">''Flight'' 1948, p. 430.</ref>
[[File:Gloster e1-44.jpg|thumb|right|Gloster E.1/44, equipped with the revised tail unit, circa 1949]]
The centre-section of the wing, which accommodated the [[flap (aeronautics)|flaps]], inboard [[air brake (aeronautics)|air brakes]] and main undercarriage, was a single-spar stressed-skin structure, with an auxiliary rear spar.<ref name = "flight 430"/> Both spars use a plate web design; the main spar's booms were composed from high-tensile [[steel]], the rear spar of light-[[alloy]] booms. The outer portions of the wing, which had similar construction, were fixed at the spars and at the [[leading edge]]. An unusual feature of the aircraft was the skin of the wings, which was composed of relatively difficult-to-work [[stainless-steel]].<ref name="Goulding p151-2">Goulding 1986, pp. 151–152.</ref><ref name="James p307-8">James 1971, pp. 307–308.</ref>
The flying controls of the E.1/44 were relatively conventional, employing an array of push-rods and spring-torque shafts (the latter being primarily used for actuation of the [[spring tab]]s) to feed control inputs to the [[flight control surfaces]].<ref name = "flight 430"/> Power for the undercarriage and the flaps was provided by a [[Dowty Group|Dowty]] [[hydraulics|hydraulic pump]], driven via a [[gear box]] from the Nene engine. For emergencies, there was a hand-pump for the flight surfaces and a compressed-air system for the undercarriage.<ref name = "flight 432"/> Electrical power was provided by a 1,500-watt HX2 generator, also driven via the gear box, which charged a pair of series-connected 12-volt accumulators. Equipment included a two-way [[radio]] set, [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]], oxygen tanks, windscreen [[de-icing]] system, fire detectors and [[fire extinguisher]]s and a [[drogue parachute]] in the tail.<ref name = "flight 432">''Flight'' 1948, p. 432.</ref>
==Construction and testing==
Progress on the new fighter was slow, Gloster having chosen to concentrate on the twin-engined Meteor and the first prototype was not completed until July 1947. The project received a considerable setback when the prototype was destroyed in a road accident while being transported to [[MoD Boscombe Down|RAF Boscombe Down]] for flight testing.<ref name = "flight 429">''Flight'' 1948, p. 429.</ref><ref name="Goulding p152">Goulding 1986, p. 152.</ref>
The first E.1/44 to fly was the second prototype. On 9 March 1948, it performed its [[maiden flight]] at RAF Boscombe Down, flown by Gloster Chief Test Pilot [[Bill Waterton]]. Reportedly, Waterton was not impressed with the aircraft, commenting on its lack of power and its unfavourable flying characteristics, unflatteringly referring to it as the "Gormless". While this unofficial name never stuck, the prototype never received an official name, although "Ace" was proposed at one point.<ref>Waterton 1956, p. 12.</ref> Shortly after its first flight, the second prototype was dispatched to [[RAF Moreton Valence]], [[Gloucestershire]] for further test flights.<ref name = "flight 429"/>
Initial flight testing confirmed the aircraft's poor handling and a revised tail unit with a high mounted tailplane was installed. While this change has been credited with resolving the handling problems, performance remained little better than that of the existing Meteor. This comparison was a major factor in the termination of the test programme during 1949 as the design did not possess the development potential of the Meteor. The fourth prototype (''TX150'') was never completed.<ref name="James p309-0">James 1971, pp. 309–310.</ref>
Some elements of the design were used in other aircraft. The revised tail design developed for the E.1/44 was carried over to the Meteor, being employed on the Meteor F 8 and later models.<ref name="Goulding p155">Goulding 1986, p. 155.</ref> Following the end of the programme, the two aircraft to achieve flight continued in use as aerial test beds for some time before being scrapped; reportedly, at least one of these prototypes remained in existence as late as 1951.<ref name="James p310">James 1971, p. 310.</ref>
==Variants==
;GA.1
:Single-engined version of the design to meet Air Ministry Specification E.5/42 – two aircraft [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|serial numbers]] ''SM801'' and ''SM805'', construction abandoned.
;GA.2 Ace
:Improved variant to meet E.1/44, three built, ''SM809'' was destroyed during transit to Boscombe Down by road and never flew. ''TX145'' was first to fly on 9 March 1948. ''TX148'' with a modified tail first flew in 1949, the tail design was later used on the Gloster Meteor F.8.
;GA.3
:Pre-production aircraft, serial number ''TX150'', not built.
;GA.4
:Forty early production aircraft were ordered in two batches in April and July 1946, cancelled and not built.
==Specifications (E.1/44)==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1949-50,<ref name=JAWA49-50>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1949–50 |editor1-last=Bridgman |editor1-first=Leonard |year=1949 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Co |location=London |pages=20c – 21c}}</ref> The British Fighter since 1912<ref name="Mason">{{cite book |last1=Mason |first1=Francis K. |title=The British fighter since 1912 |year=1992 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=0851778526 |pages=356–357}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|length m=11.6
|span m=11
|height m=5.6
|wing area sqft=254
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=
|empty weight lb=8260
|gross weight lb=11470
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|428|impgal|USgal l}} including two overload tanks in rear fuselage; Provision also made for under-wing drop tanks.
|more general=
<!--
Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Rolls-Royce Nene II]]
|eng1 type=centrifugal flow turbojet
|eng1 lbf=5000
<!--
Performance
-->
|max speed mph=620
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=410
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=44000
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|40000|ft}} in 12 minutes 30 seconds
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
<!--
Armament
-->
|guns= 4 × {{cvt|20|mm|2}} [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404]] cannon
|bombs=
|rockets=
|missiles=
|hardpoints=
|hardpoint capacity=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=
|hardpoint other=
|avionics=
}}
==See also==
{{aircontent|
|similar aircraft=
* [[Hawker Sea Hawk]]
* [[Supermarine Attacker]]
|lists=
}}
==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|2}}
===Bibliography===
* Ashley, Glenn. ''Meteor in Action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1995. {{ISBN|0-89747-332-9}}.
* Bowyer, Chaz. ''Gloster Meteor''. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1985. {{ISBN|0-7110-1477-9}}.
* Buttler, Tony. ''Gloster Meteor'' (Warpaint Series No.22). Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom: Hall Park Books Ltd., 2001. {{ISBN|1-85780-230-6}}.
* Buttler, Tony. ''X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946–1974''. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1-90210-948-0}}
* Caruana, Richard J. and Richard A. Franks. ''The Gloster & AW Meteor''. Kingsway, Bedford, United Kingdom: SAM Publications, 2004. {{ISBN|0-9533465-8-7}}.
* Golly, John and Bill Gunston. ''Jet''. Eloy Gutierrez, 2010. {{ISBN|1-907472-00-2}}.
* Goulding, James. ''Interceptor: RAF Single-Seat Multi-Gun Fighters''. London: Ian Allan, 1986. {{ISBN|0-7110-1583-X}}.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Great Book of Fighters.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7603-1194-3}}.
* James, Derek N. ''Gloster Aircraft since 1917''. London: Putnam, 1971. {{ISBN|0-370-00084-6}}.
* Jones, Barry. ''Gloster Meteor''. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, United Kingdom: The Crowood Press Ltd., 1998. {{ISBN|1-86126-162-4}}.
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200521.html "Meteor's Stable-mate."] ''Flight International'', 22 April 1948. pp.&nbsp;429–432.
* Mason, Francis K. ''The British Fighter since 1912''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. {{ISBN|1-55750-082-7}}.
* Pavelec, Sterling Michael. ''The Jet Race and the Second World War''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|0-275-99355-8}}.
* Waterton, W.A. ''The Quick and the Dead: The Story of a Chief Test Pilot''. London: Muller, 1956.
==External links==
{{commons category|Gloster E.1/44}}
* [http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Gloster-E1-44/Gloster-E1-44.htm E.1/44]
{{Gloster aircraft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloster E.1 44}}
[[Category:1940s British experimental aircraft]]
[[Category:Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Gloster aircraft|E.1 44]]
[[Category:Single-engined jet aircraft]]
[[Category:Mid-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1948]]
[[Category:Cruciform tail aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]