AEI: Jet Engines

This is a subsection of AEI

1936 Frank Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams and James Collingwood Tinling incorporated as Power Jets and started work on an experimental jet engine at a BTH factory in Rugby.

1937 The first Whittle Unit ran successfully on April 12, 1937.

1938 At the behest of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Metropolitan-Vickers started work on a new type of aero-engine, an axial-flow engine - see Metropolitan-Vickers: Jet Engines. Although Metropolitan-Vickers and BTH were both part of AEI, their relationship was more competitive than collaborative.

1938 Due to the dangerous nature of the work being carried out by Power Jets, development of the Whittle engine was largely moved from Rugby to BTH's semi-disused Ladywood foundry at nearby Lutterworth in Leicestershire. BTH's directors seemed sceptical of the design and offered little help.

1940 BTH decided they were not really interested in making jet engines due to their commitment to electrical equipment. Rover was selected to make the Whittle engine.

1947-8 Despite successful developments, culminating in the promising Sapphire engine, Metropolitan-Vickers decided to drop out of the aero-engine business. At the behest of the Ministry of Supply, Metropolitan-Vickers handed over the Sapphire project to Armstrong Siddeley Motors. M-V completed the first ten development engines and then worked closely with Armstrong Siddeley Motors. The Sapphire went on to be highly successful, and was built under licence by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation as the J.65.

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