Whittle, Sir Frank

Whittle, Sir Frank
SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace
[br]
b. 1 June 1907 Coventry, England
[br]
English engineer who developed the first British jet engine.
[br]
Frank Whittle enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an apprentice, and after qualifying as a pilot he developed an interest in the technical aspects of aircraft propulsion. He was convinced that the gas-turbine engine could be adapted for use in aircraft, but he could not convince the Air Ministry, who turned down the proposal. Nevertheless, Whittle applied for a patent for his turbojet engine the following year, 1930. While still in the RAF, he was allowed time to study for a degree at Cambridge University and carry out postgraduate research (1934–7). By 1936 the official attitude had changed, and a company called Power Jets Ltd was set up to develop Whittle's jet engine. On 12 April 1937 the experimental engine was bench-tested. After further development, an official order was placed in March 1938. Whittle's engine had a centrifugal compressor, ten combustion chambers and a turbine to drive the compressor; all the power output came from the jet of hot gases.
In 1939 an experimental aircraft was ordered from the Gloster Aircraft Company, the E 28/39, to house the Whittle W1 engine, and this made its first flight on 15 May 1941. A development of the W1 by Rolls-Royce, the Welland, was used to power the twin-engined Gloster Meteor fighter, which saw service with the RAF in 1944. Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 and became a consultant. From 1977 he lived in the United States. Comparisons between the work of Whittle and Hans von Ohain show that each of the two engineers developed his engine without knowledge of the other's work. Whittle was the first to take out a patent, Ohain achieved the first flight; the Whittle engine and its derivatives, however, played a much greater role in the history of the jet engine.
[br]
Principal Honours and Distinctions
Knighted 1948. Commander of the Order of the Bath 1947. Order of Merit 1986. FRS 1947. Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Bibliography
1953, Jet, London (an account not only of his technical problems, but also of the difficulties with civil servants, politicians and commercial organizations).
Further Reading
J.Golley, 1987, Whittle: The True Story, Shrewsbury (this author based his work on Jet, but carried out research, aided by Whittle, to give a fuller account with the benefit of hindsight).
JDS

Biographical history of technology. - Taylor & Francis e-Librar. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Whittle, Sir Frank — (1 jun. 1907, Coventry, Warwickshire, Inglaterra–8 ago. 1996, Columbia, Md., EE.UU.). Ingeniero aeronáutico y piloto británico que inventó el motor de reacción. En 1930 obtuvo su primera patente para un turborreactor, y en 1936 fue cofundador de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Whittle, Sir Frank — born June 1, 1907, Coventry, Warwickshire, Eng. died Aug. 8, 1996, Columbia, Md., U.S. British aviation engineer and pilot who invented the jet engine. He obtained his first patent for a turbojet engine in 1930, and in 1936 he cofounded Power… …   Universalium

  • Whittle , Sir Frank — (1907–1996) British aeronautical engineer Whittle, the son of a mechanic from Coventry in the English Midlands, joined the Royal Air Force as an apprentice in 1923. He was trained at the RAF College, Cranwell, and Cambridge University, where he… …   Scientists

  • Sir Frank Whittle Medal — The Sir Frank Whittle Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Academy of Engineering to an engineer, [cite web title = The Sir Frank Whittle Medal web page work = The Royal Academy of Engineering web page publisher = date = 2006 url =… …   Wikipedia

  • Sir Frank Whittle — noun English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907 1996) • Syn: ↑Whittle, ↑Frank Whittle • Instance Hypernyms: ↑aeronautical engineer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Whittle — Sir Frank …   Scientists

  • Frank Whittle — Sir Frank Whittle KBE (* 1. Juni 1907 in Coventry; † 9. August 1996 in Columbia, Maryland) war ein englischer Pilot, Erfinder und Geschäftsmann. Seine größte Leistung war die Erfindung des Strahltriebwerks, das er unabhängig und zeit …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Frank — Frank, Karl Hermann Frank, Leonhard Frank, ll´ja Michailovič * * * (as used in expressions) Baum, L(yman) Frank Buckley, William F(rank), Jr. Burnet, Sir (Frank) Macfarlane Capra, Frank Chapman, Frank Michler Frank James Cooper …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Frank Whittle — noun English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907 1996) • Syn: ↑Whittle, ↑Sir Frank Whittle • Instance Hypernyms: ↑aeronautical engineer * * * Frank Whittle [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy …   Universalium

  • frank — frank1 frankable, adj. franker, n. /frangk/, adj., franker, frankest, n., v. adj. 1. direct and unreserved in speech; straightforward; sincere: Her criticism of my work was frank but absolutely fair. 2. without inhibition or subterfuge; direct;… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”