From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
History, development, and testing of Wizard Sparking Plugs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 58\2\ Scan057 | |
| Date | 2nd October 1933 | |
| x 1812..a W/S. F.{Mr Friese} From Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst. c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Rg.{Mr Rowledge} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to EB. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst.5/MA.2.10.33. Re. WIZARD SPARKING PLUGS. The Wizard Sparking Plugs have been tested in our engines some time ago with satisfactory results as far as engine performance was concerned but these plugs have a very poor voltage characteristic, i.e. they would be useless for our engines due to the high voltage they attain under high altitude working conditions. The plugs we tested were not then known as the Wizard Plug but were made by K.L.G. to a patent specification belonging to Mr.Hall of Imperial Airways Ltd. Mr.Hall's idea was to improve the life of the plug by fitting a number of sparking points in order to distribute the wear. The K.L.G. Co., made up some sample plugs and these were tested by Imperial Airways with satisfactory results. The K.L.G. Co., however, were treated very badly by Imperial Airways as after getting them to develop the plug satisfactorily and even promising them an order for the same in quantities, the matter was unexpectedly dropped by Imperial Airways, who then formed this subsidiary Company known as the Wizard Sparking Plug Co. The Managing Director of the Wizard Sparking Plug Co., Lieutenant Colonel Darby, was actually employed by The K.L.G.Co., some time ago and financed for the purpose of carrying out an advertising campaign in America in the interests of K.L.G., and much valuable data regarding sparking plugs in this way came into his hands. | ||