The Engine
Behind every record-breaker is a supremely efficient engine. It must be reliable. It must be the appropriate size and weight. And, above all, it must have – The Power!
The days when contenders for the World Water Speed Record were propeller-driven are long gone. Modern challengers are powered by jet engines, which are much more efficient. That part of the selection process was easy – but there were other, more complex, factors to consider before deciding which engine should power Quicksilver.
The then-chief designer Ken Norris felt very strongly that high-speed stability would be enhanced if Quicksilver was physically longer than previous water-speed contenders. The resulting larger, heavier craft would need more thrust than a Bluebird-sized craft to challenge record speeds in excess of 300 mph.
Consequently, Quicksilver will have well over twice as much power as Donald Campbell’s legendary craft. Its single Rolls-Royce Spey Mk. 101 turbofan engine delivers 11,030 pounds (5,008 kilograms) of thrust – whereas the Rolls-Royce Orpheus turbojet in Bluebird generated 4,750 pounds (2,156 kilograms).
The Mk. 101 version of the Spey powered the British Aerospace/Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer, immortalised as the last all-British strike aircraft. Other versions of the Spey have powered BAC 1-11 jetliners operated by airlines around the world, Phantom multi-role aircraft serving with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and Gulfstream executive jets serving the corporate sector, and currently power Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force, and AMX strike/trainer aircraft in service with the air arms of Italy and Brazil.
When the time came to acquire an engine, the Quicksilver team went one better. It acquired a complete aircraft!
It was September 1998, and in a hushed hall in London’s New Bond Street the silver team had a golden opportunity. The old-established auction house, Phillips, was holding an auction of military aircraft, and Lot 7 was an almost immaculate British Aerospace/Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S2B attack aircraft – complete with not one, but two, Rolls-Royce Spey engines.
Both of those engines are now earmarked for the record challenge – ensuring that a spare engine is available as a back-up. In addition, the Quicksilver team has three further engines - one in running order (this unit currently installed in the hull of the boat) and two non-runners available as spares sources.
The Buccaneer is now serving in a unique role as a test-bed for the Spey engines. In the capable hands of Quicksilver team sponsor European Aviation, it is carefully maintained and ground-run routinely to keep both engines in perfect working order.
Even when the Quicksilver craft was ready to accept an engine, the Buccaneer continued to serve in this supporting role, because the remaining engine requires regular exercise to keep it record-ready.
Roar power! This stunning Buccaneer strike aircraft is serving as a "mobile testbed" for the two Rolls-Royce Spey 101 engines earmarked for the record challenge. The aircraft is put through full-power engine tests, taxying runs and other systems checks on a regular basis.
The Buccaneer undertakes a full-power engine test at Bournemouth International Airport. Running the engines every few weeks is keeping them in perfect working order while the Quicksilver speed-record boat is being built.