Abstract Sir Frank Whittle invented the jet propulsion engine, proposing the use of the gas turbine for jet propulsion in 1928. He patented his idea in 1930. The first jet aircraft flew in 1941. Whittle's engine technology was shared with the United States government and became the foundation for the American jet aircraft program. The papers in the collection document Whittle's invention of the jet engine and include correspondence, technical and design reports, photographs, charts, and engineering...