1950s Post War Jet Engine Airplane - The Wonder Jet - 1950 - CharlieDeanArchives / Archival Footage

The development of the ’jet propulsion gas-turbine’, otherwise known as the jet engine, transformed flying in the post war-era. This was both in military and commercial terms. Covering the story from the 1920s, The Wonder Jet follows Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle. Sir Frank plays himself in the film. It moves from his days as a young Royal Air Force (RAF) cadet struggling against all obstacles to realise his dream of the jet engine. Whittle did not produce the world’s first jet plane. This honour goes to