Historical Aircraft : Heinkel He 178
Heinkel He 178 – The First “Turbojet”
The Heinkel He 178 was the world’s first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, and the first practical jet aircraft. It was a private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel’s emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight.
The aircraft made its maiden flight on 27 August 1939, piloted by Erich Warsitz, only days before Germany started World War II by invading Poland.
He 178 was placed in the Berlin Air Museum, where it was destroyed in an air raid in 1943.
