User talk:Completeaerogeek/sandbox

I have made the following edit to the article listed above to correct some errors and to clarify Ohain's knowledge of Whittle's work using the cited reference. The reference used is one cited in the original article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_von_Ohain

Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain (14 December 1911 – 13 March 1998) was a German engineer, and designer an early turbojet engine. His first design ran under its own power in September 1937, and it was one of his engines that powered the first all-jet aircraft, the prototype of the Heinkel He 178 in late August 1939. In spite of these early successes, other German designs quickly eclipsed von Ohain's, and none of his engine designs entered widespread production or operational use.

Von Ohain developed his first gas turbine engine during the period that Frank Whittle was doing the same in the UK, but despite what it often stated, he was aware of Whittle's work and had read his patents. In fact, despite sporadic denials, he is quoted on several occasions clearly indicating that this was the case. In her book "Elegance in Flight"[1] Margaret Conner describes how Ohain's "patent attorney happened upon the Whittle patent in the years that the von Ohain patents were being formulated". von Ohain himself is quoted as saying "We felt that it looked like a patent of an idea" "we thought that it was not seriously being worked on." During development the two projects were often within weeks of meeting the same milestones however, in spite of significantly greater funding and support, von Ohain's Heinkel HeS 1 ran under its own power six months after Whittle's WU, but because of Ernst Heinkel's support, von Ohain's design flew first in 1939, followed by Whittle's in 1941. Operational jet aircraft from both countries entered use only weeks apart.

After the war the two men met, and became friends. von Ohain is quoted as saying to Whittle on one occasion If you had been given the money you would have been six years ahead of us. If Hitler or Goering had heard that there is a man in England who flies 500mph in a small experimental plane and that it is coming into development, it is likely that World War II would not have come into being"[2]