The ABC 8 hp is an 8 hp (6 kW) two-cylinder

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 man ...

Granville Bradshaw Granville Eastwood Bradshaw OBE, AFRAeS (1887–1969) was an English engineer and inventor who designed motorcycle, auto, and aero-engines. History Bradshaw was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1887 as the son of William and Annie Bradshaw. His ...

for use in ultralight aircraft. The engine was derived from a specially tuned

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

unit and was built by

ABC Motors ABC Motors Limited ("All British (Engine) Company") of Hersham, Surrey, England was a manufacturer of cars, aircraft, motor scooters, and engines for road and air. Established by Ronald Charteris in Hersham, Surrey in 1912, its chief designe ...

, first running in 1923.

Applications

English Electric Wren The English Electric Wren was a 1920s British ultralight monoplane built by the English Electric Company Limited at Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. History The Wren, designed by W. O. Manning, was a lightweight motor-glider. Manning was a de ...

Handley Page H.P.22 The Handley Page H.P.22 and H.P.23 were single-seat sport monoplanes produced for the 1923 Lympne light aircraft trials. They were not successful. Development With prizes worth a total of £2,150, the Lympne light aircraft competition of Octob ...

Pegna-Bonmartini Rondine The Pegna-Bonmartini Rondine, or Pegna Rondine, is a single-seat ultralight sport aeroplane designed by Giovanni Pegna and built by Piaggio in Italy during 1923. Development Probably inspired by the success of entrants to the Lympne ultra-li ...

Survivors

The sole surviving English Electric Wren ( ''G-EBNV'') flies occasionally 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 o ...

Old Warden Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The Shuttleworth Collection of ...

and is powered by an ABC 8 hp engine. With barely enough power to maintain flight the aircraft is assisted into the air by a team of volunteers using

bungee cord Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath. The ...

, after which the Wren lands straight ahead following a short 'hop'.The Shuttleworth Collection - English Electric Wren
Retrieved: 7 February 2009

Specifications (ABC 8 hp)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Guttery, T.E. ''The Shuttleworth Collection of historic aeroplanes, cars, cycles, carriages and fire engines''. Biggleswade, Bedfordshire: The Collection, 1969. * Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .

External links

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