This bottle was used to celebrate the first successful flight of a liquid-fuelled jet turbine engine, the Whittle W1, in the Gloster E28/39 aircraft, on the 15th May 1941.
A bottle of champagne was a rare sight during the war years and was the only one available to be shared at the party in the evening after the flight. The bottle was signed by Frank Whittle, the Gloster Aircraft test pilot and members of the Power Jets Development Team.
The Whittle W1 jet turbine engine was developed in a derelict foundry in Lutterworth during 1938 and Power Jets were awarded a contract by the Air Ministry in 1939 to develop it as a flight engine. An undoubtedly unique object at the dawn of modern aviation history, which saw a revolution in development of world passenger and cargo travel.
