1930's Science and Technology | Whittle's Turbojet Engine

Photographs

By: Frank Whittle

Date: 1941

Source: Midland Air Museum. "The Jet Engine." Available online at http://www.midlandairmuseum.org.uk/thejet.html (accessed October 15, 2002).

About the Inventor: Frank Whittle (1907–1996) was born in Earlsdon, England. The son of a mechanic, he was inspired to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) because of a toy airplane his father made for him. In 1928 Whittle joined a fighter squadron, and remained with the RAF until 1948. Afterward, he continued devising improvements to gas turbines and served as adviser to the aviation industry. He moved to the United States in 1976, and became a research professor at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Introduction

Early aircraft were much slower than those used today. At first, this was due to the relatively weak engines driving their...