| Hobby Gas Turbines |  |
| Hobby Gas Turbines | |
| My name is Ian Bennett and welcome to my Gas Turbine Engine collecting, building and operating home page. The gas turbine was one of the greatest inventions of the last century, it is a unique and fascinating power plant. It is simple in its basic operation yet immensely complicated to design and build. Gas turbines come in all shapes and sizes and range from miniature model aircraft units to the awesome GE90. This website is principally a celebration of small engines capable of producing up to 250 BHP, these are often referred to as APUs (Auxiliary Power Units). Many small stationary gas turbine engines have been built over the last 50 years or so, these engines may be considered collectable in a similar way to their reciprocating brothers. |  |
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Small gas turbines are ingenious and intricate mechanical devices which have been fabricated to the highest mechanical standards and lowest tolerances. To collect and operate small gas turbines is to fully appreciate their precision nature and varied characteristics. The rich and complex sound of a spooling turbine cannot be compared to any other power plant. |
| Gas turbines for collecting or hobby uses fall into three distinct categories, firstly there are commercially produced engines which take the form of industrial or aerospace units. These engines are the most common form of gas turbine a subset of which are APUs or stationary small power plants, it is this type of engine which is the main focus of this website. |  |
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A second form of gas turbine engine can be constructed by making use of a complete automotive turbo-charger unit, it is possible to add a combustion system to an otherwise virtually unmodified turbo to create a cheap and simple demonstration gas turbine. A third category of small gas turbine is the model aircraft propulsion engine. Miniature gas turbines may be fabricated from scratch or make use of components taken from turbo-chargers. In the last 10 years or so there has been much development of this type of turbine, engines can now be purchased new, built from kits or made from published plans. |
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Warning / Disclaimer |
| Operating gas turbines of all types is potentially a hazardous occupation. Always consider safety when running engines. The author of this website accepts no responsibility for any loss or injury however caused. Always take adequate fire precautions, keep clear of air intakes and jet pipes. Keep away from the rotational plains of engines. Beware of ignition systems which contain high voltages and stored energy. Take precautions against high noise levels and warn others especially if engine is expected to rapidly accelerate. |
| E-mail webmaster@gasturbine.clara.co.uk |
| Nato Stock Number 5935-99-971-6606 |
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Jetpack photo Feb09
