Stars at Farnborough

For all the deafening jets and daring acrobatics, Britain's annual aircraft show at Farnborough last week had precious little new to show in the way of aircraft. Most of the planes were familar subsonic models, or experimental craft such as Fairey's supersonic Delta, current official speed-record holder (at 1,132 m.p.h.). But while all eyes turned skyward, most of the real stars of Farnborough sat silent in ground exhibits. They were Britain's new aircraft engines. Observed London's Economist: "There are more really good engines in Britain today than there are aircraft for them to drive."

By U.S. standards, Britain's enginemen make but a small dent in world markets. Exports last year amounted to only $62 million, less than Britain earned from tobacco product sales. But sales are growing rapidly, have increased more than 300% in five years and will probably jump to $75 million this year. In addition, the industry currently has 14 engines under license for foreign manufacture. The U.S. alone makes eight different types of British power plants, has turned out 15,000 British-licensed engines for 13 types of American planes since World War II. e.g., North American's FJ-4 Fury, Grumman's F11F-1 Tiger, Republic's F-84F Thunderstreak.

Orion & Olympus. At Farnborough last week, most of the big companies had some new engines to display. Bristol Aeroplane Co., whose economical Proteus turboprop powers the new Britannia airliner (TIME, Dec. 19), showed off a bigger, 5,000-h.p. Orion version slated for 1959 production and an improved Olympus turbojet engine rated at a whopping 16,000 Ibs. of thrust. De Havilland uncorked a new gadget: a Supersprite rocket engine that weighs only 600 Ibs., yet can produce some 4,000 Ibs. of thrust for 40 sec. to lift heavily laden planes off short runways.

The biggest star was Rolls-Royce, whose plane engines bear the same mark of quality as its princely autos. The most successful private enginemaker in Europe, Rolls developed the famed Merlin piston engine for the R.A.F.'s scrappy Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, got out ahead in jets when it took over development of Sir Frank Whittle's first workable jet. The company was one of the first in turboprops with its Dart engine (1,780 h.p.), which is a main reason for Vickers' spectacular success (total sales: 353 planes) with its Viscount airliner (TIME, Jan. 3, 1955). As for Rolls's pure jet engines, its latest Avon turbojet is rated at better than 10,000 Ibs. of thrust, not only powers a wide range of military craft in Britain, but is also reaching out for civilian markets, will be in de Havilland's redesigned Comet IV jetliner.

The Bypass. But Rolls's most promising engine is its improved Conway bypass jet,* which it claims turns up 13,000 Ibs. of thrust from a power plant that is both lighter and more economical than its U.S. competitors in the big jet field, such as Pratt & Whitney's J57 and J-75. So far

Rolls has sold 48 Conways to Trans-Canada Airlines, Lufthansa and Air-India International for their U.S.-built jetliners. Another tempting Rolls development for commercial airmen at Farnborough is a reverse-thrust unit which cuts landing run 50%, will thus open up many short-runway commercial fields to jet transports. Says Rolls-Royce Engine Chief James Pearson: "We are too big to exist on British aircraft alone. Only 5% of the planes flying world air routes are powered by our engines. We think 50% is a reasonable figure, and we are looking forward to it."

* A jet engine with an additional duct through which some air from the compressor bypasses the combustion chamber to re-enter the jet stream aft of the turbine, thus increasing thrust without using more fuel.

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