Frank Whittle (Icon Science): The Invention of the Jet

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Icon Books, Oct 5, 2017 - Technology & Engineering - 95 pages
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The story of the jet engine has everything: genius, tragedy, heroism, a world war, the individual vs. the state, and an idea that would change the world.

Frank Whittle always maintained that he was held back by a lack of government support. At the very moment in 1943 when his invention was unveiled to the world, his company, Power Jets, was forcibly nationalised.

Yet Whittle's brilliance, charm and charisma helped him recruit major support from the British government and the RAF, who gave him the green light to build a jet engine at a time when to do so made little sense. Here is a story of what pushing technology to its limits can achieve - and the effect that such achievement can have on those involved.

 

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Contents

Cover
Whittles Early Jet Ideas
Wartime Development
The Origins of the Jet Engine Programme in the
Power Jets RD
Comet Failure
The Jet in Germany

Other editions - View all

Frank Whittle: Invention of the Jet
Andrew Nahum
Snippet view - 2005
Frank Whittle: Invention of the Jet
Andrew Nahum
Snippet view - 2004
Frank Whittle: The Invention of the Jet
Andrew Nahum
No preview available - 2017

Common terms and phrases

Adrian Lombard aerodynamic Air Ministry aircraft industry Aircraft Production airline American aviation axial flow compressors bomber Brabazon Bristol Britain British Bulman centrifugal compressor certainly civil combustion chamber Comet commercial company’s defence engine development experience fighter finance firms flight gas turbine gas turbine engine German Gloster Meteor Harry Ricardo Havilland highly idea initial invention inventor jet engine jet engine programme jet programme jet propulsion Kings Norton L.L. Whyte lb thrust Linnell London manufacture MAP officials Maurice Bonham Carter nationalisation of Power O.T. Falk operations piston engine post-war Power Jets Power Jets R&D problems prototype radar RAE Farnborough Research and Development Rolls-Royce Rover company Royal Aircraft Establishment Royce scheme Science Museum scientific seems speed Stafford Cripps straight subsequently suggested supersonic technical technological Tedder Tizard turbojet turbosupercharger types W.2B engine wartime Whittle engine Whittle jet Whittle’s Wilfrid Freeman

About the author (2017)

Andrew Nahum is currently Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London. He is also author of Alec Issigonis and the Mini (Icon Books, 2004) and Fifty Cars that changed the World (Design Museum, 2009, 2016).

Bibliographic information

QR code for Frank Whittle (Icon Science)
TitleFrank Whittle (Icon Science): The Invention of the Jet
Icon Science
AuthorAndrew Nahum
Editionreprint
PublisherIcon Books, 2017
ISBN1785782568, 9781785782565
Length95 pages
Subjects › 

Biography & Autobiography / General
Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology
Technology & Engineering / History
Technology & Engineering / Inventions
  
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