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Frank Whittle

Also Known As Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle
Aviation Industrialists and Engineers

A British Royal Air Force officer and engineer who conceived the turbojet engine while writing his thesis at RAF Cranwell and patented the design in 1930. Without early Air Ministry support, he founded Power Jets Ltd in 1936 with retired RAF colleagues; its prototype engine first ran in 1937. On 15 May 1941 the Gloster E.28/39, powered by his W.1 engine, made its maiden flight from Cranwell, flying for seventeen minutes at up to around 340 miles per hour and demonstrating that jet propulsion was operationally viable, opening the jet age of aviation. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Birth Year
1907 1
Death Year
1996 1
Nationality
British 1
FAQs

Did Frank Whittle invent the jet engine alone?

No. He is credited with co-creating the turbojet, and Hans von Ohain developed his engine independently.

No. Wikipedia credits Whittle with co-creating the turbojet engine rather than inventing it alone. Its account says his jet engines were developed some years earlier than those of Germany's Hans von Ohain, who designed the first-to-fly turbojet engine. Whittle at first believed von Ohain had developed his engine after seeing Whittle's patent, but after meeting him he became convinced that von Ohain's work was independent. The credit is therefore shared between two engineers who worked separately.
Connections

Invented

Gloster E.28/39, Vehicles
Source Wikipedia: Frank Whittle
Jet engine, Engines
Source Jet engine (Wikipedia)

Pioneered

Jet engine, Engines

Patented the turbojet and built the first British jet engine

Source Jet engine (Wikipedia)

Preceded By

Rudolf Diesel, Figures
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

United Kingdom

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Frank WhittleLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Frank Whittle
Wikipedia
  • Turbojet and first flight sections
  • Lead section (full title)
    Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle (1 June 1907
  • Invented: Gloster E.28/39
  • In Group: Aircraft Designers and Engineers, Lead sentence
    Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle (1 June 1907-8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer.
View the Source
Jet engine (Wikipedia)
  • Invented: Jet engine, Infobox: inventor
    Frank Whittle, Hans von Ohain
  • Pioneered: Jet engine, Infobox: inventor
    Frank Whittle, Hans von Ohain
View the Source
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