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

Campbell-Smith, Duncan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1788544692 ISBN 13: 9781788544696

Publisher: Apollo, 2020

Synopsis

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 this title

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).

Edition details

• Publisher: Apollo
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1788544692
• ISBN 13: 9781788544696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 560