Jet Man
The Making and Breaking of Frank Whittle, Genius of the Jet Revolution
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Jet Man
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Narrated by:
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Roger Davis
About this listen
The story of Frank Whittle - RAF pilot, mathematician of genius, inventor of the jet engine and British hero.
In 1929, a 22-year-old maverick named Frank Whittle - a self-taught aeronautical obsessive and risk-takingly brilliant RAF pilot - presented a blueprint for a revolutionary, jet-powered aircraft engine to the Air Ministry. His idea had the potential to change the course of history, but it was summarily rejected.
In this meticulously researched biography, Duncan Campbell-Smith charts Whittle's stoic efforts to build his jet engine in the interwar years, during which he was constantly frustrated to find his groundbreaking project impeded by bureaucratic inertia until the outbreak of war in 1939. Eventual recognition of the importance of his work by the British government came too late for Whittle's invention to play a major part in the Second World War, but after the war his dream of civilian jet powered aircraft was gradually realized - eventually transforming the entire world of air travel.
Gripping in its narrative, authoritative in its technical detail and insightful in its judgements, Jet Man is the definitive telling of the life of an engineering icon and unjustly neglected British hero of the Second World War - and a tantalizing tale of 'what might have been'.
©2020 Duncan Campbell-Smith (P)2021 W F HowesListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A very well-written and long overdue corrective account of an extraordinary man." (James Hamilton-Paterson)
"Highly readable, and based on thorough research, Jet Man casts new light on the intense, heroic character of Frank Whittle and his revolutionary invention. The tale of how he overcame all the obstacles in his path is a gripping one. What also makes Duncan Campbell-Smith's narrative compelling is the way the complex mechanics of jet propulsion are so clearly explained." (Leo McKinstry)
What listeners say about Jet Man
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Simon Davidson
- 26-07-22
Interesting Story
I knew about Whittle but not about how badly he was treated. The MAP treated Barnes Wallis appallingly too. I think 12 hours would have been sufficiently long. The book could have been more concise
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- philip woodford
- 09-11-21
Phenomenal
This book pulls together, much of the peripheral information I'd gleaned over several decades about, the political players during this period.
It beggars belief, that in principal nothing has changed ,
Since WW2, there's just been buckets loads of whitewash sprayed about to cover over the shortcomings that are sill endemic within the political system to date.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stratfordmile
- 20-11-22
Millions of lives could have been saved during WW2
If only they'd listened to Frank Whittle and not acted like spoilt children WW2 might never have started and millions of lives would have been saved. How many more fantastic British inventors and engineers have been squashed by the establishment. This book made me so angry yet in places I had tears of joy because Frank Whittle had beaten them.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- luca
- 30-11-22
😵💫
Fabulous story but dreadful reading…. If it wasn’t for my husband I would never have listened to it…audible is for car journeys soo no choice
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John Loynds
- 17-04-21
Great Book a must read on a world changing invention.
Full of interesting facts and not too technical. Had the path of this been different the world might have been so different too.
A little sad for Frank Whittle but I think he was OK in the end. Also good to hear he was probably the pioneer of the Jet and not the Germans.
We need more People like Frank Whittle and more fantastic books like this from Duncan Campbell-Smith.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-02-24
Fascinating story
Some hidden history that may have well changed the duration of WW2 if the British Establishment had only listened to the genius that invented the jet engine…
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Tom Mortley
- 24-02-24
Extremely good
Very extensively researched, provides a lot of detail around the jet development and also gives insights into characters like Lindemann and Tizard.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- T. Sutcliffe
- 01-07-24
Very Interesting
How frustrating it must have been for someone who could see the full potential of his invention, at such a critical time for the country, to get so many knock backs.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Owen
- 18-11-22
Brilliant!!
A Brilliant insight into the genius of Sir Frank Whittle and his journey to invent the jet engine.
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- Marcher Lord
- 01-05-24
True stories that amaze the listener
In a class driven society, lowly born genius minds often make it to the top after a struggle. This story is further proof that unfortunate decisions made by short sighted authority figures can stymie world changing ideas and their progenitors
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