The
Rolls-Royce Griffon is a British 37-
litrepic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
(2,240
cu inThe cubic inch is a unit of measurement for volume in the Imperial units and United States customary units systems. It is the volume of a cube with each of its 3 sides being one inch long....
)
capacityEngine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
, 60-degree
V-12A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, liquid-cooled
aero engineAn aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
designed and built by
Rolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
. In line with company convention, the Griffon was named after a
bird of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, in this case the
Griffon VultureThe Griffon Vulture is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.The Griffon Vulture is long with a wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh and females typically weigh , while in the Indian subspecies the vultures average...
.
Design work on the Griffon started in 1938 at the request of the
Fleet Air ArmThe Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
, for use in new aircraft designs such as the
Fairey FireflyThe Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
. In 1939 it was also decided that the engine could be adapted for use in the
SpitfireThe Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Naval specifications which required an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes...
. However development was temporarily put on hold to concentrate efforts on the smaller
MerlinThe Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
and the 24 cylinder
Vulture|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
, and the engine did not go into production until the early 1940s.
The Griffon was the last in the line of V-12 aero engines to be produced by Rolls-Royce with production ceasing in 1955. Griffon engines remain in
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
service today with the
Battle of Britain Memorial FlightThe Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
and also power the last remaining airworthy
Avro ShackletonThe Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...
.
Design and development
According to
Arthur RubbraArthur Alexander Cecil Rubbra CBE was an English engineer who designed many of Rolls-Royce's successful aero engines.-Early life:...
's memoirs, a de-rated version of the "
RThe Rolls-Royce R was a British aero engine designed and built specifically for air racing purposes by Rolls-Royce Limited. Nineteen R engines were assembled in a limited production run between 1929 and 1931...
" engine, known by the name
Griffon at that time, was tested in 1933. This engine,
R11, which was never flown, was used for "Moderately Supercharged Buzzard development" (which was not proceeded with until much later), and bore no direct relationship to the volume-produced Griffon of the 1940s.
In 1938 the Fleet Air Arm approached Rolls-Royce and asked whether a larger version of the Merlin could be designed. The requirements were that the new engine have good power at low altitude and that it be reliable and easy to service. Work began on the design of the engine soon afterwards. The design process was relatively smooth compared with that of the Merlin, and the first of three prototype Griffon Is first ran in the Experimental Department on 30 November 1939.
Although the Griffon was designed for naval aircraft, on 8 November 1939 N E Rowe of the
Air MinistryThe Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
suggested fitting the Griffon in a
SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. Three weeks later permission was given to
SupermarineSupermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...
to explore the possibilities of adapting the Griffon to the Spitfire; in response Supermarine issued 'Specification 466' on 4 December. This decision led to a change in the disposition of the engine accessories to reduce the frontal area of the engine as much as possible. As a result the frontal area of the bare Griffon engine was 7.9 sq ft (0.734 sq m) compared with 7.5 sq ft (0.696 sq m) of the Merlin. This redesigned engine first ran on 26 June 1940 and went into production as the Griffon II.
In early-1940, on the orders of
Lord BeaverbrookWilliam Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Bt, PC, was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, and writer.-Early career in Canada:...
,
Minister of Aircraft ProductionThe Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II...
, work on the new engine had been halted temporarily to concentrate on the smaller 27 L Merlin which had already surpassed the output achieved with the early Griffon.
Design
Compared with earlier Rolls-Royce designs, the Griffon engine featured several improvements which meant it was physically only slightly larger than the Merlin, in spite of its 36% larger capacity of 37 L . One significant difference was the incorporation of the
camshaftA camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...
and
magnetoA magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
drives into the propeller
reduction gearsThe gear ratio of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular velocity of the output gear, also known as the speed ratio of the gear train. The gear ratio can be computed directly from the numbers of teeth of the various gears that engage to form the gear...
at the front of the engine, rather than using a separate system of gears driven from the back end of the
crankshaftThe crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
; this allowed the overall length of the engine to be reduced as well as making the drive train more reliable and efficient. The Griffon was the first Rolls-Royce production aero engine to use a hollow crankshaft as the means of lubricating the main and big end bearings, providing a more even distribution of oil to each bearing. In another change from convention, one high efficiency
B.T.HBritish Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
-manufactured magneto was mounted on top of the propeller reduction casing; earlier Rolls-Royce designs using twin magnetos mounted at the rear of the engine.
The Griffon 61 series introduced a two stage supercharger and other design changes: the pressure oil pumps were now housed internally within the sump and an effort was made to remove as many external pipes as possible. In addition, the drive for the supercharger was taken from the crankshaft at the back of the engine, via a short torsion shaft, rather than from the front of the engine, using a long drive shaft as used by earlier Griffon variants.
Basic component overview (Griffon 65)
From Jane's and Flight.
Cylinders
- Twelve cylinders consisting of high-carbon steel, floating wet liners
A cylinder block is an integrated structure comprising the cylinder of a reciprocating engine and often some or all of their associated surrounding structures...
set in two, two-piece cylinder blocks of cast aluminium alloyAluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. There are two principal classifications, namely casting alloys and wrought alloys, both of which are further subdivided into the categories...
having separate heads and skirts. Cylinder liners chromiumChromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
plated in the bores for 2½ inches from the head. Cylinder blocks mounted with an included 60-degree angle onto inclined upper faces of a two-piece crankcase. Cylinder heads fitted with cast-iron inlet valve guides, phosphor bronzePhosphor bronze is an alloy of copper with 3.5 to 10% of tin and a significant phosphorus content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidizing agent during melting....
exhaust valve guides, and renewable "Silchrome" steel-alloy valve seats. Two diametrically opposed spark plugA spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
s protrude into each combustion chamberA combustion chamber is the part of an engine in which fuel is burned.-Internal combustion engine:The hot gases produced by the combustion occupy a far greater volume than the original fuel, thus creating an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber...
.
Pistons
- Machined from "R.R.59
The Hiduminium or R.R. alloys are a series of high-strength, high-temperature aluminium alloys, developed for aircraft use by Rolls-Royce before World War II. They were manufactured and later developed by High Duty Alloys Ltd....
" alloy forgingForging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it is performed: '"cold," "warm," or "hot" forging. Forged parts can range in weight from less than a kilogram to 580 metric tons...
s. Fully floating gudgeon pins of hardened nickel-chrome steel. Two compression and one drilled oil-control ringA piston ring is a split ring that fits into a groove on the outer diameter of a piston in a reciprocating engine such as an internal combustion engine or steam engine.The three main functions of piston rings in reciprocating engines are:...
above the gudgeon pin, and another drilled oil-control ring below.
Connecting rods
- H-section machined nickel-steel forgings, each pair consisting of a plain and a forked rod
In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod or conrod connects the piston to the crank or crankshaft. Together with the crank, they form a simple mechanism that converts linear motion into rotating motion....
. The forked rod carries a nickel-steel bearing block which accommodates steel-backed lead-bronze-alloy bearing shells. The "small-end" of each rod houses a floating phosphor bronze bush.
Crankshaft
- One-piece, machined from a nitrogen-hardened nickel-chrome molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
steel forging. Statically and dynamically balancedEngine balance is the design, construction and tuning of an engine to run smoothly. Improving engine balance reduces vibration and other stresses and can improve the overall performance, efficiency, cost of ownership and reliability of the engine, as well as reducing the stress on other machinery...
. Seven main bearings and six throws. Internal oilway, with feed from both ends, used to distribute lubricants to main and big end bearings. "Floating" front end bearing consisting of an internally toothed annulus bolted to crankshaft, meshing with and incorporating a semi-floating ring, internally splinedSplines are ridges or teethon a drive shaft that mesh with grooves in a mating piece and transfer torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between them....
to a short couplingA coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. Couplings do not normally allow disconnection of shafts during operation, however there are torque limiting couplings which can slip or disconnect when some torque limit is exceeded.The...
shaft. Coupling shaft splined at front end to driving wheel of propeller reduction gear. Clockwise rotation when viewed from rear.
Crankcase
- Two aluminium-alloy castings joined together on the horizontal centreline. The upper portion bears the wheelcase, cylinder blocks and part of the housing for the airscrew reduction gear
A Propeller Speed Reduction Unit is a gearbox or a belt and pulley device used to reduce the output revolutions per minute from the higher input rpm of the powerplant...
; and carries the crankshaft main bearings (split mild-steel shells lined with lead–bronze alloy). The lower half forms an oil sump and carries the main pressure oil pump, supercharger change-speed operating pump and two scavenge pumps. It also houses the main coolant pump which is driven through the same gear-train as the oil pumps.
Wheelcase
- Aluminium-alloy casting fitted to rear of crankcase. Carries the supercharger; and houses drives to the supercharger, auxiliary gearbox coupling, engine speed indicator, airscrew constant-speed unit, intercooler pump and fuel pump, as well as the oil and coolant pumps in the lower half crankcase.
Valve gear
- Two inlet and two exhaust poppet valve
A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding through a valve guide...
s of "K.E.965" austenitic nickel-chrome steel per cylinder. Exhaust valves have sodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
-cooled stems. "BrightrayBrightray is a nickel-chromium alloy that is noted for its resistance to erosion by gas flow at high temperatures. It was used for hard-facing the exhaust valve heads and seats of petrol engines, particularly aircraft engines from the 1930s onwards...
" (nickel-chromium) protective coating to the whole of the combustion face and seat of the exhaust valves, and to the seat only of the inlet valves. Each valve is held closed by a pair of concentric coil springA Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
s. A single, seven-bearing camshaft, located centrally on the top of each cylinder head operates 24 individual steel rockersGenerally referred to within the internal combustion engine of automotive, marine, motorcycle and reciprocating aviation engines, the rocker arm is a reciprocating lever that conveys radial movement from the cam lobe into linear movement at the poppet valve to open it...
; 12 pivoting from a rocker shaft on the inner, intake side of the block to actuate the exhaust valves, the others pivoting from a shaft on the exhaust side of the block to actuate the inlet valves.
Engine capacity, mass flow and supercharging
Although it is common practice to compare different piston engines and their performance potential by referring to the
engine displacement or swept volumeEngine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
this does not give an accurate reading of an engine's capabilities. According to
A C LoveseyAlfred Cyril Lovesey CBE, AFRAeS, was an English engineer who was a key figure in the development of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engine.-Early life:...
, who was in charge of the Merlin's development, "The impression still prevails that the static capacity known as the swept volume is the basis of comparison of the possible power output for different types of engine, but this is not the case because the output of the engine depends solely on the mass of air it can be made to consume efficiently, and in this respect the supercharger plays the most important role."
Unlike the Merlin, the Griffon was designed from the outset to use a single-stage supercharger driven by a two-speed, hydraulically operated gearbox; the production versions, the Griffon II, III, IV and VI series, were designed to give their maximum power at low altitudes and were mainly used by the Fleet Air Arm. The Griffon 60, 70 and 80 series featured two-stage supercharging and achieved their maximum power at low to medium altitudes. The Griffon 101, 121 and 130 series engines, collectively designated
Griffon 3 SML, used a two-stage, three-speed supercharger, adding a set of "Low Supercharger (L.S)" gears to the already existing Medium and Full Supercharger (M.S and F.S) gears. Another modification was to increase the diameters of both impellers, thus increasing the rated altitudes at which maximum power could be generated in each gear. While the 101 continued to drive a five blade propeller, the 121 and 130 series were designed to drive contra-rotating propellers. In 1946 a Griffon 101 was fitted to the
Supermarine SpitefulThe Supermarine Spiteful was a British Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry specification F.1/43 during the Second World War as a successor to the Spitfire.-Design and development:...
XVI,
RB518 (a re-engined production Mk.XIV); this aircraft achieved a maximum speed of 494 mph (795 km/h) with full military equipment.
Pilot Transition
Pilots who converted from the Merlin to the Griffon-engine'd Spitfires, soon discovered that, because the Griffon engine's propeller rotated in the opposite direction to that of the Merlin, the fighter swung to the right on take-off rather than to the left. This tendency was even more marked with the more powerful 60 and 80 series Griffon engines, with their five-bladed propellers. As a result, pilots had to learn to apply
left (port) trim on take-off, instead of the right (starboard) trim they were used to applying. On take-off, the throttle had to be opened slowly, as the pronounced swing to the right could lead to "crabbing" and severe tyre wear.
Some test Spitfire XIVs, 21s and 24s were fitted with
contra-rotating propellersAircraft equipped with contra-rotating propellers, also referred to as coaxial contra-rotating propellers, apply the maximum power of usually a single piston or turboprop engine to drive two propellers in contra-rotation...
, which eliminated the torque effect. Early problems with the complex gearbox, required for contra-rotating propellers, prevented them from ever becoming operational in Spitfires, but they were used on later aircraft, including the
SeafireThe Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
FR. Mk 46 and F and FR.47, which were fitted with Griffon 87s driving contra-rotating propellers as standard equipment. The Griffon 57 and 57A series, driving contra-rotating propellers, was used in the
Avro ShackletonThe Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...
maritime patrol aircraft.
Variants
The Griffon was produced in approximately 50 different variants, the
Griffon 130 being the last in the series. Details of representative variants are listed below:
- 1,730 hp (1,290 kW) at 750 ft (230 m) and 1,490 hp (1,110 kW) at 14,000 ft (4,270 m); Single-stage two-speed supercharger; impeller diameter 10 in (25.4 cm); gear ratios 7.85:1, 10.68:1. Used on Firefly Mk.I
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
and Spitfire XIIThe Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Naval specifications which required an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes...
.
- Increased maximum boost pressure, 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) at 2,000 ft (610 m); impeller diameter 9.75 in (24.7 cm). Used on Seafire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk.XV and Mk. XVII, Spitfire XII.
- 1,960 hp (1,460 kW); 2,345 hp (1,749 kW) with water-methanol injection on take-off: used on Avro Shackleton
The Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...
.
- Introduced a two-speed two-stage supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
with aftercooler similar to that on Merlin 61; 2,035 hp (1,520 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m) and 1,820 hp (1,360 kW) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m); used on Spitfire F.Mk.XIV, Mk.21The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Naval specifications which required an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes...
.
- Similar to Griffon 61 with different propeller reduction gear; Impeller diameters 1st stage: 13.4 in (34 cm), 2nd stage: 11.3 in (29 cm); used on Spitfire F.Mk.XIV.
- Increased maximum boost pressure to take advantage of 150-grade
Octane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating...
fuel; 2,245 hp (1,675 kW) at 9,250 ft (2,820 m).
- Fuel-injected version of Griffon 72; used on Firefly Mk.IV.
- Modified to drive contra-rotating propellers
Aircraft equipped with contra-rotating propellers, also referred to as coaxial contra-rotating propellers, apply the maximum power of usually a single piston or turboprop engine to drive two propellers in contra-rotation...
; 2,340 hp (1,745 kW) at 750 ft (230 m) and 2,100 hp (1,565 kW) at 12,250 ft (3,740 m).
- 2,375 hp (1,770 kW); used on Spiteful Mk.XIV
The Supermarine Spiteful was a British Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry specification F.1/43 during the Second World War as a successor to the Spitfire.-Design and development:...
.
- 2,350 hp (1,755 kW); used on Spiteful Mk.XV.
- 2,420 hp (1,805 kW); Two-stage, three-speed supercharger using Low Supercharger (L.S), Moderate Supercharger (M.S), or Full Supercharger (F.S); reduction gear ratio 4.45; Rolls-Royce fuel injection system. Used on Spiteful Mk.XVI.
- 2,420 hp (1,805 kW) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m) in L.S gear, 2,250 hp (1,678 kW) at 14,500 ft (4,419 m) M.S and 2,050 hp (1,529 kW) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m) F.S; reduction gear ratio 4.44; modified to drive contra-rotating propellers; Rolls-Royce fuel injection system.
Applications
Note:
- Avro Shackleton
The Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...
- Blackburn B-54
- Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
- CAC CA-15
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Crick, Darren. adf-serials.com, 2003.* Donald, David. "Commonwealth CA-15: The 'Kangaroo' Fighter". Wings of Fame, Volume 4, 1996, pp. 118–121. London: Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-874023-71-9. ISSN 1361-2034.* Francillon, René J. The Royal Australian Air...
- Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
- Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
- Folland Fo.108
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/folland_43-37.php* http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=525...
- Hawker Fury
- Hawker Henley
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cooper, H.J.,O.G. Thetford and C.B. Maycock. Aircraft of the Fighting Powers - Volume II. Leicester, UK: Harborough Publishing, 1942....
- Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
- Martin-Baker MB 5
- Supermarine Seafang
-References:NotesBibliography*Bingham, Victor. Supermarine Fighter Aircraft. Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86126-649-9.*Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Midland, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2.* Humphreys, Robert. The...
- Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
- Supermarine Seagull
- Supermarine Spiteful
The Supermarine Spiteful was a British Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry specification F.1/43 during the Second World War as a successor to the Spitfire.-Design and development:...
- Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Several North American Mustangs raced in the Unlimited Class races at the
Reno Air RacesThe Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
have been fitted the Griffons. These include the
RB51 Red Baron-External links:*...
(NL7715C), "Precious Metal" (N6WJ) and a Mustang/Learjet hybrid "Miss Ashley II" (N57LR). In all cases, Griffons with contra-rotating propellers, taken from
Avro ShackletonThe Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...
patrol bombers were used in these aircraft. The RB51 Red Baron is noteworthy for holding the FAI piston-engine 3-kilometer world speed record from 1979 to 1989.
In 1965, SFR Yugoslavia used Griffon engines as main power unit for first domestically produced self - propelled artillery system S65, but system was withdrawn from service in early 1980s, because of poor fuel economy.
The 1980
Miss BudweiserThe Miss Budweiser were 22 Hydroplanes sponsored by Budweiser beer. They were owned by Bernie Little and , his youngest son, Joe...
Unlimited Hydroplane dominated the race circuit with a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. It was the last of the competitive piston-engined boats.
In modern day
tractor pullingTruck and Tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a motorsport competition, popular in America, Europe , Australia and Brazil, which requires modified tractors to pull a heavy sledge along a 35ft. wide and length of 100 metre or 300ft+ track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls...
, Griffon engines are also in use, a single or double, rated each at 3,500 hp (2,600 kW).
Survivors
The Griffon engine continues to be used in restored Fireflies and later mark Spitfires worldwide. The
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Battle of Britain Memorial FlightThe Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
is a notable current operator of the Griffon.
The sole remaining airworthy Avro Shackleton is based at the
South African Air Force MuseumThe South African Air Force Museum houses, exhibits and restores material related to the history of the South African Air Force. The Museum is divided into three locations, AFB Swartkop outside Pretoria, AFB Ysterplaat in Cape Town and at the Port Elizabeth airport.-AFB Swartkop:Swartkop is the...
.
Engines on display
Preserved Griffon engines are on public display at the:
- Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum
The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum is a Canadian aerospace museum located in the Halifax Regional Municipality in the province of Nova Scotia.It is the only museum devoted to preserving all aspects of Atlantic Canada's aviation heritage.-History:...
- Bournemouth Aviation Museum
The Bournemouth Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located next to Bournemouth International Airport, near the village of Hurn in Christchurch. It houses a number of aircraft, aero engines, cockpits and a double-decker bus...
- Kissimmee Air Museum
- Midland Air Museum
The Midland Air Museum is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. The museum includes the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre , where many exhibits are on display in a large hangar...
- Royal Air Force Museum London
- Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of the most prestigious in the world due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.- History :...
- Tangmere Aircraft Museum near Chichester
Specifications (Griffon 65)
See also
Further reading
- Quill, J.
Jeffrey Kindersley Quill OBE AFC FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force officer, RNVR officer and Test pilot and the second man to fly the Supermarine Spitfire after Vickers' chief test pilot, Joseph "Mutt" Summers. After succeeding Summers as Vickers' chief test pilot, Quill test-flew every mark of...
(1983) Spitfire - A Test Pilot’s Story. Arrow Books. ISBN 0-09-937020-4
External links