Power Jets

The origins of Power Jets is closely tied with the pioneering work of the British inventor Frank Whittle.

[1] On 27 January 1936, Power Jets was founded; it initially consisted of Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling, and Lancelot Law Whyte of investment bankers O T Falk & Partners.

[2] In addition to the founder members, the company initially 'borrowed' some fitters from BTH to assist in the project; later on, Power Jets was able to get 'one or two' people on loan from the Royal Air Force.

Whittle designed the centrifugal compressor to develop about 4:1 pressure ratio when, as far as he was aware, the best previously demonstrated performance in a single stage was about 2.5:1.

[11] While the WU engine was undertaking began running trials in early 1937; support for its development emerged from both Sir Henry Tizard, chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee, and the Air Ministry.

[14] Ground testing of a non-flightworthy version of the W.1, installed in the E.28/39, begun on 7 April 1941;[15][16] the aircraft flew under jet power for the first time on 15 May 1941.

[17][18] The success of the E.28/39 proved the viability of jet propulsion, encouraging Gloster to press ahead with designs for a production fighter aircraft.

At the behest of the British government, Rolls-Royce thereupon assumed control of the W.2 project, with Frank Whittle and his small team at Power Jets acting in an advisory capacity.

[5] During late 1943, the British government initiated a supersonic research programme aimed at producing an aircraft that would attain speeds of up to 1,000 MPH.

[33] During February 1946, around the same time as the termination of the M.52's development, Whittle resigned from Power Jets and stated that it was due to his disagreement with the British government's official policies.