Rolls Royce Avon serviceability today

Interestingly there used to be a power station near me in Hastings that was powered by Avons. It didnt run very much because when it did, it made a hell of a racket and was in a built up area. Many years later it was stripped and lay derelict till set fire.

I was on site for seven days following the fire running the environmental cleanup and found lots of Rolls Royce correspondence on these engines. I believe they were in banks of four each bank running a turbine. Engines had long gone though.

Totally agree with DeHavEng based on first hand experience.

Regards
Chris

The Temora Aviation Museum is setting up to be able to repair and overhaul, if nessesary, all turbine engines they operate. This includes Avons and Goblins. The museum has already put two fresh RR Derwents into service in their F8 Meteor. The Museum is currently putting the finishing touches on their engine test cell which will be capable of testing engines up to 10,000lbs of thrust. The first engine to be tested will be the RR Avon Mk26 going into the CA27 Sabre that is nearing completion.

many thanks DeHavEng,

main reason i was musing on the subject is the apparent increasing rarity of airworthy 100 series engines, particulary the mk.109

Although i do suppose there will come a time when due to the absolute lack of any remaining engines that overhaul will become more popular

The vast majority of airworthy avons are ex-military. It is my understanding that military avons were overhaulled by the military rather than being returned to the RR. As a result a large number of the organisations out there operating military avons have the technical know-how to overhaul an avon should the need arise. The sticky point is the equipment needed to do the job which requires a significant initial financial outlay that is often prohibitive particularly if it is only for 1 or maybe 2 engines. With that in mind it is often more cost effective to scrap the engines and source a new(er) one(s). This is often the case and not as ludicrus as it sounds, most ex-military aircraft, when they are de-mobbed and put up for public auction, come with a pretty comprehensive spares list normally to include 1 or 2 engines depending on the engines usefulness to the parent service, i.e. can the engine be used in a different aircraft or is it type specific.
Back to the overhaul issue. The equipment necessary to do the job is the prohibitive part, very few operators can afford that outlay although afew can. I know of atleast 2 companies that have that equipment due to their high useage level of Avon engines. As to industrial Avons and aircraft Avons, while the 2 have some parts in common they are 2 seperate animals with alot of procedures and practices specific to each and not really suited to interchangeability. With regards to spares for the avon, airworthy spares are increasingly rare and often 2 or more engines are cannabalised to make 1 airworthy one. However, there are those moments when little gems pop up, everyone has read about farmers who have afew aircraft bits tucked away, and those few bits turn out to be complete airframes. The same is true with engines, there are people who bid on M.o.D. auctions with such enlightening titles as ’40 tons aircraft spares’ and sometimes those 40 tons will contain hidden treasures, complete engines still in transport containers (seals intact), mint condition undercarraige units, pumps, actuators and rams. But there also those times when it is useless junk.

i suppose more to the point, does anyone overhaul Avons to airwaorthy condition these days?

See here for more information, the website is very helpful- it got me through my apprenticeship interviews!

http://www.rolls-royce.com/energy/products/oilgas/avon/default.jsp

Here’s a link to a company that rebuild the industrial Avons http://www.score-group.com/aboutscore/score-energy-limited.html
Maybe they will tackle a flight Avon?
I wouldn’t like to assume that there is much parts commonality either.

From the contents of this thread can I assume that all aviation users of Avons are using units overhauled some time in years past. Could one be overhauled if needed?
Is it the same situation for 100 and 200 series engines.
Cost must be a big factor no doubt, but what about consumable parts like seals or blades perhaps.

Regards
Richard

The Avon is still in widespread use in the oil and gas industry and I have an acquaintance who runs courses on these and other RR industrial powerplants. It is credit to the Avon’s reliability that he describes the routine inspection system as “Maintenance by Binoculars”. If you can see heat coming from it, then it’s working. Just drive on to the next one.

exmpa

i do recall reading about an industrial Avon that ran for 463 continuous days and another that reached 53,000 hours before requiring a major overhaul, they must be tough little ******s

RR still produce the Industrial Avon

The Avon is still in widespread use in the oil and gas industry and I have an acquaintance who runs courses on these and other RR industrial powerplants. It is credit to the Avon’s reliability that he describes the routine inspection system as “Maintenance by Binoculars”. If you can see heat coming from it, then it’s working. Just drive on to the next one.

exmpa

RR still produce the Industrial Avon, so I assume that there would be some degree of similarity in parts. As for airworthy engines, i’m afraid I have no idea.

Dean