Lefebvre was a pioneer in the development of the jet engine, and arguably one who contributed more as a researcher, designer and educator than any other, except of course, the original inventors – Sir Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain.
In Germany Hans von Ohain patented his version of a jet engine in 1936 and began developing a similar engine.
The feasibility of jet propulsion had been demonstrated in Germany in early 1937 by Hans von Ohain working with the Heinkel company.
Hans von Ohain (1911–1998), one of the inventors of the jet engine
At some point he became Deputy Director of the Energy Conversion Lab at WP-AFB, managed by jet inventor Hans von Ohain.
This problem was one that led to early research into jet engines, notably by Frank Whittle in England and Hans von Ohain in Germany, who were led to their research specifically in order to avoid these problems in high-speed flight.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | Hans Christian Andersen | Otto von Bismarck | Alexander von Humboldt | Hans Holbein the Younger | Hans Zimmer | Wernher von Braun | Carl Maria von Weber | Herbert von Karajan | Hans Werner Henze | Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher | John von Neumann | Lars von Trier | Ferdinand von Mueller | Paul von Hindenburg | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation | Heinrich von Kleist | Anne Sofie von Otter | Hans Memling | Hans Pfitzner | Erich von Stroheim | Max von Sydow | Justus von Liebig | Hans Küng | Hermann von Helmholtz | Hans Conried | Franz von Papen | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg | Carl von Clausewitz | Hans Knappertsbusch |
On August 27, 1939 Erich Warsitz undertook the world first jet flight with the Heinkel He 178 fitted with Hans von Ohain’s jet engine, the He S 3 turbine.