Saturday 18th March 2023
Difficulty: Medium
Sir Frank Whittle (Quiz #120)
The Gloster E.28/39, the first British aircraft to fly with a turbojet engine, built to Frank Whittle's design (Public domain)
Sir Frank Whittle (1907–1996) was an English engineer, inventor and RAF officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine.
1. Frank Whittle expressed his concept for jet engines like this: "Reciprocating engines are exhausted. They have hundreds of parts jerking to and fro, and they cannot be made more powerful without becoming too complicated. The engine of the future must produce 2,000 hp with..." what?
2. The RAF and Air Ministry showed little interest in Whittle's proposals for a jet engine, so he patented the idea himself, which made the concept public. Which country achieved the first flight by a jet-engined aircraft?
3. Frank Whittle was granted a patent for his jet design in 1931, but why did he fail to renew the patent in 1935?
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