Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet gine, has died in America aged 89.

In 1941 he watched his invention come to life as the jet-propelled Gloster-Whittle E 28/39 flew successfully for the first time. But his triumph was tainted with bitterness and regret over the lack of support he received from the British authorities.

Born in 1907 near Coventry, England, Whittle was given a toy airplane with a clockwork propeller at the age of four. His interest in airplanes increased during the First World War when he used to watch aircraft being built in a local factory. He started to spend hours in the library reading about steam and gas turbines.

Whittle joined the Royal Air Force in 1923 and flew his first solo flight after just eight hours of instruction. He spent his spare time pondering new ways of powering aircraft, and in 1928 wrote a revolutionary thesis called "Future Developments in Aircraft Design." He patented his idea for a jet-engine in 1932.

Whittle always maintained that if his ideas had been adopted earlier Britain would have developed a jet-propelled fighter aircraft before the outbreak of the Second World War, giving it an enormous advantage against the Nazis. But his brilliant invention was met with indifference by the authorities, who claimed it would never work. The British Air Ministry even refused to pay the £5 renewal fee when his patent lapsed.

Fortunately Whittle was able to find independent backing. This, combined with the outbreak of the Second World War, saw the rapid development of the first jet fighter, which took its maiden flight in 1941.

Whittle's invention led to the development of many other aircraft, such as the Gloster Meteor which was used to shoot down German V-1 flying bombs at the end of the war. He also influenced the de Havilland Comet, the world's first passenger jet, and Concorde, the first supersonic airliner.

Frank Whittle retired from the RAF in 1948 was knighted shortly afterwards, finally receiving the official recognition his momentous invention deserved. He retired to the United States in 1976.