The Bristol Hercules was a 14-cylinder sleeve-valve radial engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and manufactured by BAC starting in 1939. Although it powered Bristols own Beaufighter, it saw more widespread use in bombers. Ranging from the 1,375 hp Hercules I to the 1,735 hp Hercules XVIIproduced towards the end of the warthese variants powered aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster B.II, Handley Page Halifax, Short Stirling, Vickers Wellesley, and Vickers Wellington. The sleeve-valve engine featured an efficient configuration that allowed for the use of lower-octane fuels while maintaining the same compression ratio; it was a clever and effective design. Gordon Wilson presents a biography of this brilliant workhorse, which was developed and modified under the pressures of wartime. He had exclusive access to the restoration of a Handley Page Halifax, providing him with photographic details unavailable anywhere else.
Author
Wilson, Gordon A. A.
Title
The Hercules
Details
English text, Paperback, 16 pages with bw-photos. 287 pages.
