The requirements for materials used in aeroplane engines are naturally very exacting. They must survive extremes of temperature and force, while being as light as possible and ultra-reliable because, as people working in the industry often say to those outside it, 'there are no laybys at 30,000 feet'. The idea for turbojet engines was first put forward by Frank Whittle, an RAF cadet, in 1928. His first engine run was in 1937 and the first flight four years later. Meanwhile, a team in Germany was doing similar work, unaware of Whittle's achievements.
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