The Rolls-Royce Falcon is an

aero engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...

developed in 1915. It was a smaller version of the

Rolls-Royce Eagle The Rolls-Royce Eagle was the first aircraft engine to be developed by Rolls-Royce Limited. Introduced in 1915 to meet British military requirements during World War I, it was used to power the Handley Page Type O bombers and a number of oth ...

, a liquid-cooled V-12 of 867 cu in (14.2 L) capacity. Fitted to many British

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

-era aircraft, production ceased in 1927. The Falcon was designed by R.W. Harvey-Bailey. An airworthy Falcon survives today and powers a Bristol F.2 Fighter during summer displays.

Design and development

Production of the Falcon began in September 1916 and was so successful that it was also manufactured under licence by

Brazil Straker Straker-Squire (also known as Brazil Straker) was a British automobile manufacturer based in Bristol, and later Edmonton in North London. The company was formed in 1893 at St Philips, Bristol, as Brazil, Straker & Co by the Irish engineer J.P. ...

in Bristol. Production continued until 1927, by which time 2,185 had been built.Lumsden 2003, p.188. An unusual feature of this engine was the epicyclic propeller reduction gear which contained a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

designed to limit the maximum

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

, thus protecting the reduction gears.Guttery 1969, p.27. The Falcon was notably used in the Bristol F.2 Fighter and Blackburn Kangaroo bomber.

Variants

''Note:'' ;Falcon I (''Rolls-Royce 190 hp Mk I'') :(1916-17), 230 hp, 250 engines produced in both left- and right-hand tractor versions. ;Falcon II (''Rolls-Royce 190 hp Mk II'') :(1917), 253 hp,

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

size increased. 250 built at Derby. ;Falcon III (''Rolls-Royce 190 hp Mk III'') :(1917-1927), 285 hp, increased

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

(5.3:1), twin carburettors replaced with four Rolls-Royce/

Claudel-Hobson Claudel-Hobson was a series of British carburettors manufactured by H. M. Hobson Ltd. Introduced in 1908, they were widely used on British car and aircraft engines in the early 20th century. Applications included Sunbeam automobiles as well as ...

units. 1,685 built at Derby.

Applications

''List from Guttery and Lumsden:''

Survivors

Bristol F.2B Fighter, ''D-8096'', is based at the Shuttleworth Collection and is powered by a Falcon III, this aircraft flies regularly in summer.Shuttleworth Collection - Bristol Fighter
www.shuttleworth.org. Retrieved: 13 December 2017

Engines on display

*A Rolls-Royce Falcon is on public display at the

Shuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of old ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. *A Rolls-Royce Falcon is displayed at th
Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust Collection
(Derby).

Specifications (Falcon III)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Guttery, T.E. ''The Shuttleworth Collection''. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. * ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I''. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1993. * Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. . * Pugh, Peter. ''The Magic of a Name - The Rolls-Royce Story: The First 40 Years''. Duxford, Cambridge: Icon Books, 2001. .

External links

Photo of a Rolls-Royce Falcon at enginehistory.org
{{RRaeroengines

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

1910s aircraft piston engines