HEINKEL HE 178 "FIRST JET PLANE OF WORLD"

The Heinkel He 178 is the first turbojet in aviation history to take off. The He-178 was an experimental aircraft that was financed by private funds from Heinkel Flugzeugwerke. The first flight of this plane took place on August 27, 1939. Erich Warsitz then sat at the controls. Compared to the He-178 fighters used at that time, it showed a much better acceleration and a better maximum speed. The undoubted downside was the short duration of the flight, not exceeding a few minutes. Perhaps for this reason the He-178 did not arouse interest in Luftwaffe decision-makers. Two prototypes of this aircraft, V1 and V2, were built, only the first of which was tested in flight. The experience gained later resulted in work on the He-280 and Me-262. The V1 prototype found its way to the Aviation Museum in Berlin, where, unfortunately, it was destroyed in an air raid in 1943. Technical data: length: 7.48 m, wingspan: 7.2 m, height: 2.1 m, maximum speed: 598 km / h, maximum range: 200 km, armament: the plane was unarmed.