Learning Center Our Enshrinees

Sir Frank Whittle

• Wrote Future Development in Aircraft Design in 1928 which explained that aircraft could, in principle, travel faster at higher altitudes.
• Applied for a patent for his turbo jet engine in 1930 and was issued in 1931. Unfortunately, the Air Ministry had been convinced that the idea was without merit and failed to render the patent secret.
• Formed Power Jets Ltd. where his engine was started for the first time in 1937. Whittle resigned from the company after it was nationalized and several of his groundbreaking developments were cancelled.
• Retired from the Royal Air Force in 1948 with the rank of Air Commodore and was knighted that same year by King George VI. 
• Became a Naval Research Professor at the United States Naval Academy in 1977 and was an Adjunct Research Professor in 1979.
• Wrote the “Gas Turbine Aero-Thermodynamics” textbook which is highly regarded in its field.
• Awarded the Order of Merit in 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II.