The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History recounts the role played by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) in the evolution of aircraft engines from 1925 to the present timefor the most part as told by the engineers who made the history. A technical reference of all P&W engines and their applications, the book describes the evolution of piston engines and gas turbines, and offers young engineers a wealth of insights about design, development, marketing, and product support efforts for customers at home and abroad. The first three chapters introduce the contributions of Frederick Rentschler, George Mead, and Leonard Hobbs, with stories of how each new piston engine came into being. From 19401945 P&W committed its engineering efforts to winning World War II, but when the war was over, P&W found itself on the outside of the gas turbine market, which was capably being served by General Electric and Westinghouse. How P&W emerged from being five years behind the competition in 1945 to a positio

"Pratt & Whitney engines helped to win World War II by powering much of the U.S. fighter fleet as well as many British planes. They also powered 98 percent of all transport planes used by the military during that war. Since then, they've powered such record-breaking aircraft as the Boeing B-50, the first airplane to fly nonstop around the globe, and the Air Force F-100 Super Sabre becoming the first aircraft to break the speed of sound in horizontal flight. In July 1976, Pratt & Whitney J58 engines powered an SR-71 spy plane to a world altitude record of 84,069 feet (25,624 kilometers) and a second Blackbird to a world speed record of 2,193 miles per hour (3,529 kilometers per hour). These dependable engines are also responsible for powering the first generation of commercial jet transports bringing the world to our front doors - the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Pratt & Whitney's JT8D, powering the Boeing 727 and 737, as well as the Douglas DC-9, has totaled more than half a billion hours of service with more than 350 operators since its commercial service began. In fact, they've been used in most of the world's civil, commercial and military aircraft. Over the years, Pratt & Whitney has patented hundreds of innovations, from heat-resistant coatings to aerodynamic blades - technologies that make air travel more cost effective, comfortable and dependable. Today Pratt and Whitney engines provide power for everything from land based power stations, business jets and helicopters to large commercial aircraft, fifth generation fighters, and manned & unmanned space vehicles."The story of Pratt & Whitney" offers broad insight into the history of aviation itself and the people who built the industry."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

FROM THE PREFACE: This book celebrates the wonderful projects on which we worked at Pratt & Whitney during the almost magical quarter century bounded by World War II and the competition to develop the Space Shuttle engine. Some of the work has never been described until this book because of stringent security classifications that are now lifted. This book is about the almost unbelievable engines and the dedicated group of people who made the engines real. Most of these unique projects were not the daily 'bread and butter' for Pratt & Whitney and thus were free from much of the survival pressure that typically surrounds that work. Instead, they were driven by the challenge of attempting things that had never been done. Two lasting discoveries that came from the work of the group were the RL10 hydrogen rocket engine, which has been used to launch most large satellites over the past half-century, and the development of the technology for the high-pressure staged combustion rocket engine used in the Space Shuttle.CONTENTS INCLUDE: Ramjets - The Early Days at the Research Laboratory; T57 - The Largest Turboprop; Liquid Hydrogen and the 304 Engine - Suntan; RL10 - My Only Moneymaker; High-Pressure Rockets - A Decade and One-Half Billion Dollars; Boost Glide and the XLR129-Mach 20 at 200,000 Feet; XLD-1 Gas Dynamic Laser; The Space Shuttle Engine; A Cry for Help.

This landmark joint publication between the National Air and Space Museum and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chronicles the evolution of the small gas turbine engine through its comprehensive study of a major aerospace industry. Drawing on in-depth interviews with pioneers, current project engineers, and company managers, engineering papers published by the manufacturers, and the tremendous document and artifact collections at the National Air and Space Museum, the book captures and memorializes small engine development from its earliest stage. Leyes and Fleming leap back nearly 50 years for a first look at small gas turbine engine development and the seven major corporations that dared to produce, market, and distribute the products that contributed to major improvements and uses of a wide spectrum of aircraft. In non-technical language, the book illustrates the broad-reaching influence of small turbinesfrom commercial and executive aircraft to helicopters and missiles deployed in recent military engagements. Detailed corporate histories and photographs paint a clear historical picture of turbine development up to the present. See for yourself why The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines is the most definitive reference book in its field. The publication of The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines represents an important milestone for the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). For the first time, there is an authoritative study of small gas turbine engines, arguably one of the most significant spheres of aeronautical technology in the second half o

The primary human activities that release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere are the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) to generate electricity, the provision of energy for transportation, and as a consequence of some industrial processes. Although aviation CO2 emissions only make up approximately 2.0 to 2.5 percent of total global annual CO2 emissions, research to reduce CO2 emissions is urgent because (1) such reductions may be legislated even as commercial air travel grows, (2) because it takes new technology a long time to propagate into and through the aviation fleet, and (3) because of the ongoing impact of global CO2 emissions. Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research develops a national research agenda for reducing CO2 emissions from commercial aviation. This report focuses on propulsion and energy technologies for reducing carbon emissions from large, commercial aircraftâ€" single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft that carry 100 or more passengersâ€"because such aircraft account for more than 90 percent of global emissions from commercial aircraft. Moreover, while smaller aircraft also emit CO2, they make only a minor contribution to global emissions, and many technologies that reduce CO2 emissions for large aircraft also apply to smaller aircraft. As commercial aviation continues to grow in terms of revenue-passenger miles and cargo ton miles, CO2 emissions are expected to increase. To reduce the contribution of aviation to climate change, it is essential to improve the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to reduce emissions and initiate research into new approaches.

Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II, now in its second edition, coalesces multiple aspects of war-driven aviation and its amazing technical accomplishments, leading to the allied victory during the second world war. Not by chance, the air battles that took place then defined much of the outcome of one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern history. Forward-thinking airplane design had to be developed quickly as the war raged on, and the engines that propelled them were indeed the focus of intense cutting-edge engineering efforts. Flying higher, faster, and taking the enemy down before they even noticed your presence became a matter of life or death for the allied forces. Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II, Second Edition, addresses British- and American-developed engines. It looks at the piston engines in detail as they supported amazing wins both in the heat of the air battles, and on the ground supplying and giving cover to the troops. This new edition, fully revised by the original author, Graham White, offers new images and information, in addition to expanded specifications on the Rolls-Royce/ Packard Merlin and the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. Jay Leno, a known enthusiast, wrote the Foreword.

Examines the 1984 "war" that pitted Pratt and Whitney against GE in head-to-head competition for multi billion dollar defense contracts to provide high performance engines for front line fighter aircraft. The circumstances surrounding the lengthy battle led to the Air Force decision to split future engine sales between the two. Attempts to cut through emotional opinions of the "combatants," to report reality, and to identify lessons learned. Helps the reader to understand the government-to-contractor personality issues; to understand management styles, business expectations and communication skills of key participants.