Jet Engine

Hello! My name is the Jet Engine, and I want to tell you my story. Before I came along, airplanes had big propellers on their noses that spun around like giant fans. They would pull the planes through the air, whirring and buzzing as they went. It was a good way to fly, but those planes couldn't go super-duper fast, and they couldn't soar way, way up high where the clouds are like fluffy cotton balls. People were dreaming of a new way to fly, a way to zip through the sky faster than ever before, almost like a superhero. They wanted to shrink the big wide world. That’s when some clever people started thinking about me, and my amazing adventure was about to begin.

My story really started with two brilliant inventors who lived in different countries but had the very same idea. In England, there was a man named Frank Whittle, and in Germany, there was another man named Hans von Ohain. They both imagined a new way to push a plane forward. Instead of pulling it, I would push it. Here’s my secret. First, I take a great big gulp of air. Then, I squeeze that air really, really tight. After that, I mix it with a special fuel, and we make a little pop, like a tiny, powerful explosion. All that hot air has to go somewhere, so it rushes out my back with a giant WHOOSH. That big push is so strong it sends the whole airplane zooming forward. It was so exciting when I first got to try it. On August 27th, 1939, I helped a plane fly for the first time in Germany. Then, on May 15th, 1941, I did it again in England. I was finally flying.

After my first flights, I started changing everything. Because I could help planes fly so high and so fast, the whole world started to feel a little bit smaller and cozier. Journeys that used to take many, many days could now be done in just a few hours. Suddenly, people could fly across giant oceans to visit their grandparents for the holidays. Families could go on amazing vacations to faraway places they had only seen in books. Important letters and packages could be delivered in a flash. I love thinking about all the families I’ve brought together and all the wonderful adventures I have helped start. I am a reminder that even the biggest, sky-high dreams can take flight if you just imagine a new way to WHOOSH.