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. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

-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 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 allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

designed to limit the maximum

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

, 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 or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline 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 Vent ...

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 maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine. A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...

(5.3:1), twin carburettors replaced with four Rolls-Royce/ Claudel-Hobson units. 1,685 built at Derby.

Applications

''List from Guttery and Lumsden:''

Surviving engines

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 aviation, automotive and agricultural collection located at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire, England. History The collection was founded in 1928 by aviator Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth. While ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

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

South African Air Force Museum The 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 Por ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

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. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

1910s aircraft piston engines V12 aircraft engines