It was however only the first design and in fact available British engines with a centrifugal compressor were more efficient. At the time of its first run, it was only the second axial flow engine to successfully run outside Germany, quite a feat. The first engine Westinghouse built was designated the J30 and first ran in March 1943 and flew under a Corsair fighter in January 1944. In an axial flow jet engine the turbine blades progressively compress the air through multiple fan stages (11 Stages in the J34) and with each stage the fan blades get progressively smaller, more numerous and change pitch to efficiently compress the air before it enters the combustion chamber at the rear of the engine. Germany had also settled on an axial design for its engines however the lack of materials resulted in poor reliability (about 10 hrs running time) compared with the then British engines (about 300 hours).
This was a more advanced technology as it required more precise manufacturing and high temperature metals. Right from the start, they settled on an axial flow design rather than that adopted by Whittle in his engines. At this time, the only jet engine in the United States was the first Whittle engine with a centrifugal compressor. In late 1941 the US Navy asked Westinghouse Electric Corporation to commence designing a jet engine for future navy fighters. The Westinghouse J34 is a simple, robust engine that traces its history to the very beginning of jet engine development in the United States. Wright R-3350 Radial Piston Aero Engine.Rolls Royce RB211 Turbofan Jet Aero Engine.Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah Piston Aero Engine.Boeing 747-438 “VH-OJA, City of Canberra”.Douglas DC-3 (aka C-47, Dakota, Skytrain, Gooney Bird).What Types of Events Can Be Hosted at HARS?.