Jet Man - The Making and Breaking of Frank Whittle, Genius of the Jet Revolution

The story of Frank Whittle - RAF pilot, mathematician of genius, inventor of the jet engine and British hero.
'Wonderful' David Edgerton, TLS
'A fascinating account' Aeroplane Monthly
'Casts new light on the intense, heroic character of Frank Whittle' Leo McKinstry
'[A] thorough dissection of the evolution of the jet engine... I recommend this mighty tome unreservedly' Journal of Aeronautical History
'A long overdue corrective of an extraordinary man' James Hamilton-Paterson
'A fine, deeply researched book' Military History Monthly

In 1938, a thirty-one-year-old RAF pilot and engineer named Frank Whittle - given special leave to pursue his own startlingly original concept of flight - presented the Air Ministry with a written proposal for a revolutionary jet-powered fighter aircraft. A ready response might have changed the course of history, but Whittle got no reply.

In this gripping and insightful biography, Duncan Campbell-Smith charts Whittle's success at building a pre-war jet engine against all the odds - and tracks his desperate struggle to have it launched into active service against Hitler's Luftwaffe. It arrived too late - but nonetheless transformed the future of aviation.

About the author

Duncan Campbell-Smith is a former Financial Times and Economist journalist whose career has also included working in the City, consulting with McKinsey & Co and a short stint in the world of corporate communications. His previous books include Struggle for Take-Off, A History of British Airways (1986). He won the Wadsworth Business History Prize for his authorised history of the Royal Mail, Masters of the Post (2011).

Summary

The biography of Frank Whittle – RAF pilot, mathematician of genius, inventor of the jet engine and British hero.

Foreword

The biography of Frank Whittle - RAF pilot, mathematician of genius, inventor of the jet engine and British hero.

Additional text

[A] thorough dissection of the evolution of the jet engine. Campbell-Smith has climbed every mountain of paper records unearthing the numerous political and technical hurdles from primary sources... I recommend this mighty tome unreservedly

Product details

• Authors: Duncan Campbell-Smith, Campbell-Smith Duncan
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.08.2021
• EAN: 9781788544702
• ISBN: 978-1-78854-470-2
• No. of pages: 560
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Aviation and space engineering; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Biographies, autobiographies; Biography: general, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Aerospace & aviation technology, Non Fiction, Biography: science, technology and medicine, Aircraft and aviation, Aircraft: general interest, Aerospace and aviation technology, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, HISTORY / Military / Aviation & Space