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).
Development of diesel engines, commercial aviation engines, and auxiliary power plants for aircraft.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\2\ scan0250 | |
| Date | 18th September 1939 | |
| -5- development of the motor torpedo boat will be followed up. (f) RANGE OF DIESEL ENGINES. As a result of the petrol injection work, it should be possible to design a range of engines made of largely inter-changeable parts similar to that produced by General Motors and covering a H.P. range of from 100 to say 300. These would be utilised for tractor, commercial passenger vehicle, fire engines stationary and rail car work. They should be less costly to produce and more efficient than the G.M. design. (g) COMMERCIAL AVIATION. Rightly or wrongly, the whole of commercial aviation at present flies on air cooled engines. However good our liquid cooled engine may be, this preference for air cooling will not be easy to overcome. Therefore though in the national interest we may not be justified in producing the air cooled X at present, surely it would be folly not to get it tooled up. This of course is assuming that this engine is the ideal size for post war civil aviation. To expand its application, could not the question of making a 32 cyl. engine out of the same parts be investigated, also a 16 cyl. and a 6 cyl. It occurs to us that after the war Phillips and Powis ought to go for the feeder line type of aircraft now produced by De Havilland and that a 6 cyl. engine of the Exe cylinder size type and centres might make an ideal power plant for such an aircraft. Presumably P. & P. might allot a small staff to consider the design of such an aircraft, which of course is used in war for liason purposes. Two De Havillands of the Dragon or some such type can be seen on almost every aerodrome. (h) Auxiliary Power Plant for Large Aircraft. Last time we were in the states, considerable interest was being taken in such units. The aluminium version of the high power unit might be ideal for such application. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||