Story of the development of the jet engine has: genius, tragedy, heroism, a world war, the individual vs. the state -- and an idea that would change the world. British inventor Frank Whittle maintained that he was held back by lack of government support. At the very moment when his invention was unveiled to the world, his company, Power Jets, was forcibly nationalized. In fact, Whittle’s innovative brilliance, his charm and charisma helped him recruit major support from the British Covernment, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) for his ambitious idea -- to build a jet engine -- at a time when to do so made little sense.