October 1945: Whittle reflects on his jet engine
By the age of 21 Sir Frank Whittle had conceived a technology that would transform military and civil aviation in a way that has remained largely unchallenged for 75 years.
It should go without saying that Sir Frank invented the jet propulsion gas turbine, and, in doing so, created a market that between 2014–2023 alone will require 55,000 new civil aero engines.
Some of those engines will be on the Airbus A350-1000, an aircraft coming into service next year with power being delivered by two Rolls-Royce Trent engines that will each deliver 97,000lb of thrust.
By contrast, Sir Frank’s first jet propulsion gas turbine – the W1 – delivered 1,240lb of thrust, rising to 1,600lb with the development of the W2.
A remarkable element of the jet engine’s story is the fact that Sir Frank was rejected twice by the RAF; an organisation that would ultimately reward him with a commission and an education.
No less remarkable was the fact that just a few months after the end of the Second World War, Air Commodore Frank Whittle, CBE, RAF, MA, Hon. MI Mech E had set about contributing a series of articles to The Engineer that would candidly and eloquently explain how the jet engine came into being.
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