Inventions

The Jet Engine

Citation Formats

General Reference

Technology and Engineering Atlas. "The Jet Engine." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/inventions/the-jet-engine.

APA Style

Technology and Engineering Atlas. (n.d.). The Jet Engine. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/inventions/the-jet-engine

BibTeX

@misc{technologyandengineeringatlas-the-jet-engine,
  author = {Technology and Engineering Atlas},
  title = {The Jet Engine},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/inventions/the-jet-engine},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The jet engine generates forward thrust by drawing in air, compressing it, burning fuel in it, and expelling the resulting exhaust at high speed, rather than turning a propeller. Frank Whittle patented a turbojet design in Britain on January 16, 1930, though funding difficulties delayed his own engine's first flight until 1941. Hans von Ohain developed a turbojet independently in Germany, unaware of Whittle's work, and his engine powered the Heinkel He 178 to the world's first jet powered flight on August 27, 1939, nearly two years ahead of Whittle's own aircraft.

Facts

Patent or First-Use Date

1930-01-16 1

Frank Whittle's British patent for a turbojet engine, filed and granted priority January 16, 1930; Hans von Ohain's independent German patent followed in 1936, and von Ohain's engine achieved the first jet powered flight, on August 27, 1939.

Significance

The jet engine made sustained flight at speeds and altitudes propeller aircraft could not reach practical, transforming military aviation immediately and, after the war, turning commercial air travel into a routine and increasingly affordable way to cross the world. 1

Disputed

Year

1930

1930 is the year of Whittle's British patent, the earlier of the two claims; von Ohain's independent German patent followed in 1936 and his engine flew first, in 1939, before Whittle's own aircraft flew in 1941.

Cross-Tradition Connections