Gloster E.1/44

infobox Aircraft
name =Gloster E.1/44
type =Fighter
manufacturer =Gloster Aircraft Company

---

caption = Gloster E.1/44 with original tail unit c. 1944
designer =George Carter
first flight =9 March 1948
introduced =
retired =Cancelled
status =
primary user =Royal Air Force (intended)
more users =
produced =
number built = 3
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Gloster E.1/44 was a British single engined jet fighter design of the Second World War which came about because of low availability of jet engines but was not completed in prototype form until after the war and never entered production.

Design and development

The success of the first British jet aircraft the Gloster E.28/39 led to the design of the twin engineed Gloster Meteor jet fighter from 1940 onwards. However in 1942 Rover, who were contracted to produce the Whittle W2 jet engine, were having production problems so the Air Ministry issued a Specification, E.5/42, asking for a design which would use only one engine rather than the two. In the end Rolls-Royce Limited traded jet engine production (the W2 would become known as the Welland) for tank engine production with Rover; the supply problem was resolved and the single engined design was not required. Gloster continued with their design work privately intending to use a de Havilland H.1 engine instead of the W2/Welland.

In 1944 the Ministry issued a Specification, E.1/44, for an experimental jet aircraft using the new Rolls Royce Nene engine. Using their first design (GA1) they produced a new one (GA.2) that would meet the specification and received a contract to build three aircraft. These were not finished until after the wars end.

Testing and evaluation

The first one to fly did so on 9 March 1948 flown by Gloster test pilot Bill Waterton. The programme was stopped in 1949 as the aircraft did not have the development potential of the Meteor, though the tail design was carried over and employed on the Meteor F 8 and later models. The only two aircraft to fly (the first prototype was irreparably damaged before use and its replacement was not completed) were used as testbeds for a while before being scrapped.

pecifications (E.1/44)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=The British Fighter since 1912 Mason 1992, p.357]
crew=
capacity=
length main= 38 ft 0 in
length alt= 11.59 m
span main= 36 ft 0 in
span alt= 10.98 m
height main= 11 ft 8 in
height alt= 3.56 m
area main= 254 ft²
area alt= 23.6 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 8,260 lb
empty weight alt= 3,755 kg
loaded weight main= 11,470 lb
loaded weight alt= 5,214 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (jet)=Rolls-Royce Nene II
type of jet= centrifugal flow turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main= 5,000 lbf
thrust alt= 22.3 kN
thrust original=

max speed main= 539 knots
max speed alt= 620 mph, 998 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 357 nm
range alt= 410 mi, 660 km
ferry range main=
ferry range alt=
ferry range more=
ceiling main= 44,000 ft
ceiling alt= 13,400 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= lb/ft²
loading alt= kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= hp/lb
power/mass alt= W/kg
more performance=*Climb to 40,000 ft (12,200 m): 12 min 30 sec

armament=
guns= 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannon
bombs=
rockets=
missiles=
hardpoints=
hardpoint capacity=

avionics=

ee also

aircontent

similar aircraft=

lists=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Ashley, Glenn. "Meteor in Action". Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89747-332-9.
* Bowyer, Chaz. "Gloster Meteor". London: Ian Allen 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.
* Caruana, Richard J. and Franks, Richard A. "The Gloster & AW Meteor". Kingsway, Bedford, United Kingdom: SAM Publications, 2004. ISBN 0-9533465-8-7.
* Green, W. and Swanborough, G. "The Great Book of Fighters." St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
* Jones, Barry. "Gloster Meteor". Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, United Kingdom: The Crowood Press Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-86126-162-4.
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland:Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
* Waterton, W.A. "The Quick and the Dead: The Story of a Chief Test Pilot". London: Muller, 1956.

External links

* [http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Gloster-E1-44/Gloster-E1-44.htm E.1/44]
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=622 at British Aircraft Directory]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/gloster_e1-44.html Russia.ee website]