I´ve wondered about the Centaurus……
I´m not well informed but it seems to me as there is a problem with these powerplants. It´s difficult to find cores in good enough condition to be suitable for rebuild and when they´ve been rebuilt they don´t last very long.
Maybe that´s one reason why none of the Tempest Mk.IIs have been completed and flown.
Now to the question(s):
Are there more modern developments of the Centaurus still in existence, such as the 660-series?
Would it be possible to modify the engine bearers of the Tempest or Sea Fury to substitute one of these for the original?
Are the dimensions and weight differences within manageable limits?
I´ve read somewhere that no other variants than the Centaurus V or VI could be fitted to the Tempest Mk.II due to different engine bearers.
I mean, the americans can fit a Wright R-3350 or a Pratt&Whitney R-4360 to a Sea Fury so, which was the real reason?
Was it seeing the end of the war and the piston engined era that made it a “dead end”?
In my opinion, if the later variants of the Centaurus are more reliable and if they still exist, they would make a better substitute, more true to the original than the Wrights and Pratts (Oh no, 🙂 check the spelling!).
Christer
By: keithmac - 15th February 2002 at 21:25
RE: Uncle KeithMac, one for the weekend!
Hi Chister, Firstly there was nothing wrong with the engine while it was being supported by the company and spares were available. However the engine went out of production in the late 1950’s and product support ended in the mid 60’s, there just were’nt enough engines in service to make it an economic prospect. Plus of course, Rolls Royce took over the company and had no real interest in keeping the Bristol name alive. I suspect the main problem now is finding sleeves that are not worn to limits. A worn sleeve is about as much use as a chocolate teapot! By contrast there are thousands of American radials still in service, and as far as I know the companies still provide good product support. Flying your aeroplane with an American engine is not a problem if you have hard cash!
I can’t give you a definate answer on the second part of you’re question, I don’t know the particular installation. But to the best of my knowledge all the engines were pretty much the same in terms of weight and dimentions. The main changes were in the accessory gearboxes mounted on the rear of the crankcase, and of course the accessories mounted on them for the different installations. My feeling is that you could mount any Centaurus in any installation with just a little modification to either the engine or the installation. But in terms of having an aeroplane to fly, regrettably the US engine conversion is the only way ahead.
KeithMac
By: Christer - 14th February 2002 at 23:02
RE: Uncle KeithMac, one for the weekend!
Well uncle KeithMac, now that You´re back I add this comment to bring my question to where it´s more likely that You´ll see it! 🙂
Regards,
Christer
Sign In
February 1, 2002 at 1:02 pm