Bristol Olympus Mk.104

Op 4 mei 2022 bezocht ik het South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum. Onderdeel van hun collectie is een Bristol Olympus vliegtuigmotor welke gebruikt werd in de Avro Vulcan bommenwerper.

Bristol
Olympus Mk.104

The First ‘Two Spool’ Jet Engine

In 1946 Frank Owner realised that the only safe way to get a high efficiency jet engine for long range aircraft was to divide the compressor in two, each spool driven by its own turbine. So the Olympus was born and ran successfully on the test bed in May 1950.

It was flight tested in a Canberra, in which Walter Gibb twice set new World Altitude Records. The Olympus was destined to power the delta-winged Avro Vulcan which formed the major part of Britain’s deterrent force until 1967 and remained in service to 1984.

The Mk 104 engine was used in the Vulcan B.1. The Vulcan B.2 ultimately used the Olympus Mk. 301, giving 20.000 lbs of thrust, double that of the prototype engines.