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1 Whittle, Sir Frank
SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace[br]b. 1 June 1907 Coventry, England[br]English engineer who developed the first British jet engine.[br]Frank Whittle enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an apprentice, and after qualifying as a pilot he developed an interest in the technical aspects of aircraft propulsion. He was convinced that the gas-turbine engine could be adapted for use in aircraft, but he could not convince the Air Ministry, who turned down the proposal. Nevertheless, Whittle applied for a patent for his turbojet engine the following year, 1930. While still in the RAF, he was allowed time to study for a degree at Cambridge University and carry out postgraduate research (1934–7). By 1936 the official attitude had changed, and a company called Power Jets Ltd was set up to develop Whittle's jet engine. On 12 April 1937 the experimental engine was bench-tested. After further development, an official order was placed in March 1938. Whittle's engine had a centrifugal compressor, ten combustion chambers and a turbine to drive the compressor; all the power output came from the jet of hot gases.In 1939 an experimental aircraft was ordered from the Gloster Aircraft Company, the E 28/39, to house the Whittle W1 engine, and this made its first flight on 15 May 1941. A development of the W1 by Rolls-Royce, the Welland, was used to power the twin-engined Gloster Meteor fighter, which saw service with the RAF in 1944. Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 and became a consultant. From 1977 he lived in the United States. Comparisons between the work of Whittle and Hans von Ohain show that each of the two engineers developed his engine without knowledge of the other's work. Whittle was the first to take out a patent, Ohain achieved the first flight; the Whittle engine and its derivatives, however, played a much greater role in the history of the jet engine.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsKnighted 1948. Commander of the Order of the Bath 1947. Order of Merit 1986. FRS 1947. Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.Bibliography1953, Jet, London (an account not only of his technical problems, but also of the difficulties with civil servants, politicians and commercial organizations).Further ReadingJ.Golley, 1987, Whittle: The True Story, Shrewsbury (this author based his work on Jet, but carried out research, aided by Whittle, to give a fuller account with the benefit of hindsight).JDS -
2 Aerospace
See also: INDEX BY SUBJECT AREA[br]Caproni, Giovanni BattistaDassault, MarcelGiffard, Baptiste Henry JacquesJohnson, Clarence LeonardKorolov, Sergei PavlovichSopwith, Sir Thomas Octave MurdochTsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich -
3 Caproni, Giovanni Battista (Gianni), Conte di Taliedo
SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace[br]b. 3 June 1886 Massone, Italyd. 29 October 1957 Rome, Italy[br]Italian aircraft designer and manufacturer, well known for his early large-aircraft designs.[br]Gianni Caproni studied civil and electrical engineering in Munich and Liège before moving on to Paris, where he developed an interest in aeronautics. He built his first aircraft in 1910, a biplane with a tricycle undercarriage (which has been claimed as the world's first tricycle undercarriage). Caproni and his brother, Dr Fred Caproni, set up a factory at Malpensa in northern Italy and produced a series of monoplanes and biplanes. In 1913 Caproni astounded the aviation world with his Ca 30 three-engined biplane bomber. There followed many variations, of which the most significant were the Ca 32 of 1915, the first large bomber to enter service in significant numbers, and the Ca 42 triplane of 1917 with a wing span of almost 30 metres.After the First World War, Caproni designed an even larger aircraft with three pairs of triplane wings (i.e. nine wings each of 30 metres span) and eight engines. This Ca 60 flying boat was designed to carry 100 passengers. In 1921 it made one short flight lightly loaded; however, with a load of sandbags representing sixty passengers, it crashed soon after take-off. The project was abandoned but Caproni's company prospered and expanded to become one of the largest groups of companies in Italy. In the 1930s Caproni aircraft twice broke the world altitude record. Several Caproni types were in service when Italy entered the Second World War, and an unusual research aircraft was under development. The Caproni-Campini No. 1 (CC2) was a jet, but it did not have a gas-turbine engine. Dr Campini's engine used a piston engine to drive a compressor which forced air out through a nozzle, and by burning fuel in this airstream a jet was produced. It flew with limited success in August 1940, amid much publicity: the first German jet (1939) and the first British jet (1941) were both flown in secret. Caproni retained many of his early aircraft for his private museum, including some salvaged parts from his monstrous flying boat.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsCreated Conte di Taliedo 1940.Further ReadingDizionario biografico degli Italiani, 1976, Vol. XIX.The Caproni Museum has published two books on the Caproni aeroplanes: Gli Aeroplani Caproni -1909–1935 and Gli Aeroplani Caproni dal 1935 in poi. See also Jane'sfighting Aircraft of World War 1; 1919, republished 1990.JDSBiographical history of technology > Caproni, Giovanni Battista (Gianni), Conte di Taliedo
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Whittle, Sir Frank — (1 jun. 1907, Coventry, Warwickshire, Inglaterra–8 ago. 1996, Columbia, Md., EE.UU.). Ingeniero aeronáutico y piloto británico que inventó el motor de reacción. En 1930 obtuvo su primera patente para un turborreactor, y en 1936 fue cofundador de… … Enciclopedia Universal
Whittle, Sir Frank — born June 1, 1907, Coventry, Warwickshire, Eng. died Aug. 8, 1996, Columbia, Md., U.S. British aviation engineer and pilot who invented the jet engine. He obtained his first patent for a turbojet engine in 1930, and in 1936 he cofounded Power… … Universalium
Whittle , Sir Frank — (1907–1996) British aeronautical engineer Whittle, the son of a mechanic from Coventry in the English Midlands, joined the Royal Air Force as an apprentice in 1923. He was trained at the RAF College, Cranwell, and Cambridge University, where he… … Scientists
Sir Frank Whittle Medal — The Sir Frank Whittle Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Academy of Engineering to an engineer, [cite web title = The Sir Frank Whittle Medal web page work = The Royal Academy of Engineering web page publisher = date = 2006 url =… … Wikipedia
Sir Frank Whittle — noun English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907 1996) • Syn: ↑Whittle, ↑Frank Whittle • Instance Hypernyms: ↑aeronautical engineer … Useful english dictionary
Whittle — Sir Frank … Scientists
Frank Whittle — Sir Frank Whittle KBE (* 1. Juni 1907 in Coventry; † 9. August 1996 in Columbia, Maryland) war ein englischer Pilot, Erfinder und Geschäftsmann. Seine größte Leistung war die Erfindung des Strahltriebwerks, das er unabhängig und zeit … Deutsch Wikipedia
Frank — Frank, Karl Hermann Frank, Leonhard Frank, ll´ja Michailovič * * * (as used in expressions) Baum, L(yman) Frank Buckley, William F(rank), Jr. Burnet, Sir (Frank) Macfarlane Capra, Frank Chapman, Frank Michler Frank James Cooper … Enciclopedia Universal
Frank Whittle — noun English aeronautical engineer who invented the jet aircraft engine (1907 1996) • Syn: ↑Whittle, ↑Sir Frank Whittle • Instance Hypernyms: ↑aeronautical engineer * * * Frank Whittle [ … Useful english dictionary
sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy … Universalium
frank — frank1 frankable, adj. franker, n. /frangk/, adj., franker, frankest, n., v. adj. 1. direct and unreserved in speech; straightforward; sincere: Her criticism of my work was frank but absolutely fair. 2. without inhibition or subterfuge; direct;… … Universalium
