Development of first ever jet engine in Lutterworth is the subject of talk next month
The development and testing of the first ever jet engine, some of which took place in Lutterworth, is the subject of a special talk in the town next month.
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle is credited with inventing the turbojet engine, which is typically used in aircraft.
Sir Frank formed the company Power Jets Ltd, for the purpose of designing and manufacturing jet engines, and a lot of the work took place in Lutterworth and nearby Rugby.
The town’s connections to this unique feat of engineering are being celebrated on Saturday June 6 when Sir Frank’s son, Ian Whittle, is giving a talk about his father’s work.
This will be combined with some tales from his own career, working as a pilot for Cathay Pacific, also known as the flag carrier of Hong Kong.
Ian’s talk takes place at the Wycliffe Rooms in Lutterworth on Saturday June 6 at 3pm, with tickets available through the Ticketsource platform priced at £5 for standard tickets or £10 for VIP tickets.
Ian, 92, is due to fly in his own plane to the area for the talk and is then scheduled to stay overnight at the Brownsover Hall Hotel in Rugby, where Sir Frank and other members of Power Jets Ltd were based while carrying out their work.
On a previous visit to Lutterworth, Ian opened a new gallery named The Whittle Room, at the Lutterworth and District Museum.
Sir Frank created a prototype jet engine, which first ran in 1937, and was later knighted for his work.
He died in 1996 at the age of 89.
Power Jets Ltd was nationalised in 1944, and evolved into the National Gas Turbine Establishment, based in Farnborough, Hampshire.
The site played a key part in gas turbine development for more than 50 years before it was permanently closed in 2000.