The Marquardt Company was established in 1944 by Roy E. Marquardt, a Cal Tech trained aeronautical engineer, for the purpose of studying subsonic ram-jet engines. However, development work was also done on pulsejets, a very simple type of jet engine in which combustion occurs in pulses. This type of propulsion was used in the famous World War II German V-1 buzz bombs. Pulsejet engines can be made with few or no moving parts, and are capable of running at static conditions.

Marquardt applied pulsejets in a helicopter test-bed. The M-14 or "Whirlajet" (N4107K), was a one person, open cockpit, experimental, first of its kind, helicopter with 884 cm (29 ft) diameter blades, and a simplified steel tubing structure. Directional control was ensured by means of a rudder. At each tip of the two-bladed rotor were located pulsejet engines similar to this artifact. It flew its test flights in 1948 but was never commercially built.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Date

Circa 1945

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

PROPULSION-Turbines (Jet)

Manufacturer

Marquardt Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, California

Physical Description

Type: Pulsejet, ducted, multiple tube

Dimensions

3-D: 299.7 × 14.6cm (9 ft. 10 in. × 5 3/4 in.)

Materials

HAZ MAT: Cadmium
Aluminum Alloy
Cosmoline
Rubber
Ferrous Alloy
Adhesive Tape
Solder

Inventory Number

A19710951000

Credit Line

Transferred from the U.S. Navy

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

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