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[May 2007] The Aerospace Industries Division AGM and annual lecture was held on 15 May 2007 at IMechE headquarters, on the subject of the work of Sir Frank Whittle in developing the gas turbine engine.
The lecture was part of the celebrations for the centenary of his birth, and was presented by Mr Roy Fowkes, who was a friend of Whittle and is also a Trustee of the Whittle Reactionaries – the group of engineers who worked with him. The AGM and lecture also coincided with the 66th anniversary of the first flight of an aircraft power by his engine.
Roy Fowkes provided a fascinating account of Whittle’s career, from an apprentice in the Royal Air Force to his pioneering work in the late 1930s and the Second World War. During this time Whittle had to overcome immense technical, financial and bureaucratic obstacles before seeing his invention fundamentally change aircraft performance.
The lecture included video extracts of interviews with Whittle before his death in 1996, and gave a rare insight into the personality and work of a celebrated 20th century engineer, and attracted an audience of 65.
A whole range of commemorative programmes took place during the year.
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