Frank Whittle

Imagine Winston Churchill with

RAF jet PROPELLED SPITFIRES and

HURRICANES at his CONTROL!

History is littered with what-ifs. Whittle joined the RAF at 16 as an apprentice, gained his pilot's wings at 21 and wrote a thesis on the 'Future Developments in Aircraft Design'.

A genius that envisaged speeds of over 600mph in the stratosphere, considered by many to be science fiction.

With no formal support, he patented his Jet Engine in 1930.  But it wasn't until 1943, with Rolls-Royce on the scene, that his dreams were realised. He retired from the RAF in 1948, suffering from nervous exhaustion!!!

"My father said inventing the

jet engine was easy.

Making it work was the difficult bit!"

Jet engines revolutionised air travel

and shrank the world!

Video: © GoldenMike/Shutterstock

Changing the way we travel