Rolls Royce Viper Engine
 

Anybody flown an aircraft with them.

An article I read said that not all the bearings recovered oil and therefore oil had to be added on every turnaround.

Any other turbine engines like that?

Partial loss systems were quite common on early jets. Don't remember if the spey was designed that way but in practice it worked that way.

I haven't had anything much to do with the Viper, but the Rolls Royce RB162 had a total loss oil system where all the oil was scavenged out to the exhaust.
The engine was the Boost Engine fitted to the Trident 3 and so wasn't in use all the time. I do remember checking the oil quantity on a gauge in the rear equipment bay and topping up from a remote re-oiling point close by.

On the early HS125's with vipers used to have to get up on the pylon after each sector and add 1 litre per hour of flight from tins. Great fun in the snow!
Later viper ones had a remote replenishment system in the equipment bay, then they went to fans that don't use any oil to speak of.

It went out of the centre main and rear turbine bearing seals - the hot bits. It had micro pumps to limit the loss. The Viper was a very early engine (1953)and they hadn't worked out how to seal them at that time. And with the Viper's fuel consumption, you were never going to run out of oil before you ran out of fuel!

http://www.powerjets.co.uk/Viper%20Oil%20System.jpg

The Pegasus has a partial total loss system and oil useage can be the limiting issue on very long mutiple AAR sorties unless precautions are takem. If you see a Harrier in the hover you can sometimes see smoke venting from near the front right hand cold nozzle.

Wasn't the Viper known as one of the most efficient means known to mankind of converting petrochemicals into noise and smoke? It certainly seemed to have bugger-all to do with thrust.

I was told the Viper was originally built for the Jindivik unmanned target airplane and was only supposed to be run a few times before being blown up. Hence simple design.

Didn't all the MB326H Macchi trainer aircraft have them?

At least the ones that used to be in service as advanced trainers in the RAAF did!

And you're quite right, they were a 'bit' underpowered!

Cheers...FD...:)

A bit underpowered!!!
 

The "Fanta can's" were, a little unkindly, said to have "variable noise, constant thrust".

Throttle setting was just like using a telegraph system to the engine room! :}

GF

Have a lot of Viper time in an HS125-600. Oiling the engines was done only when needed. Checking them was at every possible opportunity.

Rarely did those two numbers diverge.

A lot of Spey time in G1159's. If they weren't dirty on the bottom of the cowl, it was because you held 300 knots until final, or they were out of oil. Many a time in Newfoundland on a tech stop, it was 5 minutes to refill the sumps (2x2.5 minutes). Max human exposure time on a ladder in 40 knots at -30F was 20 seconds.

Tays..... Brand new airplane. New owner standing at cargo door waiting for a particular bag to emerge from hatch. Sees a drop of oil draining from cowling and asks why does a brand new plane leak oil?

Had to smile. That's not a leak, I said. That's a sign of progress.

Jet Provost (3 and 4) trained in the 60s. The viper was very reliable - I don't remember any engine problems at my flying training school apart from icing - no de or anti-icing kit fitted. I seem to remember that the thrust was a ton plus 8 lbs ie 2248lbs. The mark 3 was undepowered but the Mark 4 went quite well and was therefore popular for aeros and the high level trips. No pressurization though - the 'bends' were common amongst the QFIs during the high level phase!

Boofhead is right - the Viper was designed for the Jindivic drone and was therefore simple.

Happy days!
mcdhu

Forerunner to Jindivik
 

The forerunner to the Viper powered Jindivik was the GAF Pika, a manned version of the Jindivik. Only two were built and one still survives in the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia. Google up GAF Pika for more info.

Rolls Royce Viper engines
 

I flew a lot of time in an HS 125 403B and it had these engines. The F/O's seemed to lose the toss, more than the Captain, so they ended up more on the pylons, checking the oil and topping it up if necessary.

The Viper at that time had the reputation of , if you could light it off it would then never let you down.

Tmb

Constant Loss systems
 

The Sapphire in Victor 1 & 1A was a constant loss engine from the turbine bearing scroll area, Paul H.