Credited to United Kingdom. Britannica credits Whittle's 1930 patent as the customary invention of the jet engine but notes that Hans Pabst von Ohain independently designed the first operational jet engine in Germany, which flew on August 27, 1939, before any Whittle engine flew.
How it began
Frank Whittle, born in Coventry, was a Royal Air Force officer and pilot. While writing his thesis at RAF Cranwell he formulated the basic concepts of the turbojet engine. A colleague, Pat Johnson, remained convinced of the idea and had Whittle patent it in January 1930. Britannica notes that this event is customarily regarded as the invention of the jet engine.
Who pushed back
Whittle struggled to obtain funding for his idea. With retired RAF officers he set up Power Jets Ltd to develop it, and the company worked with limited money. Official interest came only later, during World War II, when contracts were placed and successful prototypes followed.
What changed first
The Power Jets WU, or Whittle Unit, began test runs on 12 April 1937. The Gloster E.28/39 later became the first British aircraft to fly with a turbojet engine. The first operational jet engine, however, was designed in Germany by Hans Pabst von Ohain and powered the first jet aircraft flight on August 27, 1939.
What lasted
Britannica describes the jet engine as unusual in having been brought to fruition independently in two countries, by Whittle in Britain and von Ohain in Germany. Whittle's work on jet propulsion changed aviation and he was knighted for it. He emigrated to the United States in 1976, continued research with the US Naval Academy, and died in 1996.
