Sir Frank Whittle (1907-1996), known as the inventor of the jet engine and a graduate of the Department of Engineering, will be featured tonight (October 13) on a History Channel documentary entitled ’‘Whittle – the Jet Pioneer’.
Sir Frank Whittle (1907-1996), known as the inventor of the jet engine and a graduate of the Department of Engineering, will be featured tonight (October 13) on a History Channel documentary entitled ’‘Whittle – the Jet Pioneer’.
Whittle had the idea of using a gas turbine for jet propulsion, and applied for his first patent on the idea in January 1930. Whittle gained a BA with first class honours in the Mechanical Sciences Tripos in the Department of Engineering in 1936. It was during his study at Cambridge that Whittle was encouraged by his colleagues to take the idea of his jet engine further.
The documentary focuses on an exclusive interview with Sir Frank Whittle filmed with Quanta films in 1986. It also contains contributions from his son Ian Whittle, veteran test pilot Captain Eric Brown RN and Hans von Ohain, who designed Germany's first jet engine.
The documentary will be shown on:
Thursday, October 13 at 9pm
Friday, October 14 at 2pm, and
Sunday, October 16 at 11am.
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