Editing Frank Whittle (section)

==Entering the RAF==
In January 1923, having passed the RAF entrance examination with a high mark, Whittle reported to [[RAF Halton]] in [[Buckinghamshire]] as an [[Aircraft Apprentice]]. He lasted only two days: just five feet tall and with a small chest measurement, he failed the medical.<ref name=tele/> He then put himself through a vigorous training programme and special diet devised by a physical training instructor at Halton to build up his physique, only to fail again six months later, when he was told that he could not be given a second chance, despite having added three inches to his height and chest.<ref name="RAF1"/> Undeterred, he applied again under an assumed name{{citation needed|reason=if he used an assumed name, why did the RAF call him Whittle, F?|date=March 2023}} and presented himself as a candidate at the No 2 School of Technical Training [[RAF Cranwell]]. This time he passed the physical and, in September that year, 364365 Boy Whittle, F, started his three-year training as an aircraft mechanic in No. 1 Squadron of No. 4 Apprentices Wing, RAF Cranwell, because RAF Halton [[No. 1 School of Technical Training RAF|No. 1 School of Technical Training]]<ref name="MAM"/> was unable to accommodate all the aircraft apprentices at that time.

Whittle hated the strict discipline imposed on apprentices and, convinced there was no hope of ever becoming a pilot, he at one time seriously considered deserting.<ref name="MAM"/> However, throughout his early days as an aircraft apprentice (and at the [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]), he maintained his interest in model aircraft and joined the Model Aircraft Society, where he built working replicas. The quality of these attracted the eye of the Apprentice Wing commanding officer, who noted that Whittle was also a mathematical genius. He was so impressed that in 1926 he recommended Whittle for officer training at RAF College Cranwell.<ref name=tele/>

For Whittle, this was the chance of a lifetime, not only to enter the commissioned ranks but also because the training included [[Flight training|flying lessons]] on the [[Avro 504]].<ref name=tele/> While at Cranwell he lodged in a bungalow at [[Dorrington, Lincolnshire|Dorrington]]. Being an ex-apprentice  amongst a majority of ex-[[Public school (United Kingdom)|public school]]boys, life as an officer cadet was not easy for him, but he nevertheless excelled in the courses and went solo in 1927 after only 13.5 hours’ instruction, quickly progressing to the [[Bristol F.2 Fighter|Bristol Fighter]] and gaining a reputation for daredevil low flying and aerobatics.<ref name="MAM"/>

A requirement of the course was that each student had to produce a thesis for graduation: Whittle decided to write his on potential aircraft design developments, notably flight at high altitudes and speeds over 500&nbsp;mph (800&nbsp;km/h). In ''Future Developments in Aircraft Design'' he showed that incremental improvements in existing propeller engines were unlikely to make such flight routine. Instead he described what is today referred to as a [[motorjet]]; an air compressor using a conventional [[piston engine]] to provide compressed air to a combustion chamber whose exhaust was used directly for thrust – essentially an [[afterburner]] attached to a piston engine driven air compressor. The idea was not new and had been talked about for some time in the industry, but Whittle's aim was to demonstrate that at increased altitudes the lower outside [[density of air|air density]] would increase the design's efficiency. For long-range flight, using an Atlantic-crossing mailplane as his example, the engine would spend most of its time at high altitude and thus could outperform a conventional powerplant.<ref name=tele />  According to Whittle, "...I came to the general conclusion that if very high speeds were to be combined with long range, it would be necessary to fly at very great height, where the low air density would greatly reduce [[drag (physics)|resistance]] in proportion to speed."{{sfn|Golley|1987|p=24}}

Of the few apprentices accepted into the Royal Air Force College, Whittle graduated in 1928 at the age of 21 and was commissioned as a [[pilot officer]] in July.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue = 33414|date = 21 July 1928|page=5575}}</ref> He ranked second in his class in academics, won the Andy Fellowes Memorial Prize for Aeronautical Sciences for his thesis, and was described as an "exceptional to above average" pilot.<ref name=tele/> However, his flight logbook also showed numerous red ink warnings about showboating and overconfidence,<ref name=tele/> and because of dangerous flying in an [[Armstrong Whitworth Siskin]] he was disqualified from the end-of-term flying contest.<ref name="MAM"/>