Our chief designer and engineer, Phill Heward (GTBA #38), has been successfully designing and building turbojet and turboprop engines for over 22 years – 12 years as a homebuilder and 10 years as a professional engineer. By chance picked up a copy of RCM&E in the summer of 1983 and discovered an article about a team of 5 people (Jerry Jackman, Barry Belcher, Dave Stitch, Chris White and Ray Carter) who spend a few decades building and refining several engines in the hope of one day flying one in a model aircraft. The then 16 year old Mr Heward thought he would like to have a go at that himself. Having nothing more than a room in the house for his model aircraft workshop and also a bed in the corner, he began carving away at pieces of metal in the hope of building something that would run. 6 years later he succeeded. after that pivitol moment development was much quicker, and in 1995 things had progressed to the stage where he felt able to set up a small company with a college friend (Dave Hackney).

Phill was the founding partner of Microjet Engineering Limited, having founded that company in August 1995 with his best mate whilst still at college. Up until his departure from that company in early February 2005, he was the SOLE DESIGNER and MAIN BUILDER of all the gas turbine engines manufactured by them having personally machined and hand built over 200 engines, including the HF100 and the HF150. These engines were designed for use, amongst others, in UAV/drone manufacture, and received a lot of interest from companies intending to use them for such a purpose.

His other design credits include the Albatross 65 and 95, their upgraded versions the HF65 and HF100, the Condor 150 axial and radial turbine models (which evolved into the HF150), the HFTP65 turboprop and the turboshaft version, and the 650 turbofan basic layout.

Besides these, Phill also brought to the aero-modelling world such popular engine models as the panther (HF15) Phoenix 30.3 and the upgraded version, the Phoenix Mk4 and HF30.

Since leaving Microjet Engineering, Phill has gone back to his first love, which is the manufacture of small engines suitable for aero-models. The first engines he is developing since leaving Microjet Engineering is the Wasp 1 and the Wasp 2 H20.

Not forgetting his humble beginnings as a gas turbine homebuilder, Phill has designed the Wasp 1 engine specifically with the homebuilder in mind and hopes that this engine will gently nudge many a homebuilder on the road to building their first, very own, home-built gas turbine engine. The Wasp 2 H20 is a factory built version of the same engine.

At the same time, Phill is also refining the Nimbus H80 and the Altair H400 two spool (or should that be 3 spool) turbofan. The Altair H400 is still under development. Both the Nimbus H80 and the Altair H400 will be ready for production by the end of June 2005.

Phill brought the world many original designs of turbojet engine. Some of his engine designs have received awards and recognition for their low weight, high thrust and low fuel consumption. Two engines designed and built by Phill were winners of the GTBA (Gas Turbine Builders Association) fuel efficiency competition.

With many years of development experience under his belt, Phill will bring you the very latest in gas turbine development not seen anywhere else. He will also offer you the very latest developments in diffuser technology, which lends the engine to the highest pressure ratio available

After having spent years perfecting his craft, Phill is confident that the new engines he is developing would give better performance and greater fuel efficiency than any of the other engines he has ever designed. And with the use of new high quality castings for the turbine nozzle ring instead of welded assemblies giving much better dimensional stability will be producing engines with far greater reliability than ever, whether the engines are used in model aeroplanes or in UAV’s.

Phill has given a lot of thought, care and attention to every aspect in the design of the Wasp 1, the Wasp 2, the Nimbus H80 as well as the Altair H400. Every bit of his expertise has been brought to bear upon each detail in the design of these engines, and Phill hopes that you, the customers who are purchasing these engines, would derive as much satisfaction from them as he has the pleasure in bringing them to you.