Overview
The lecture will cover the early development of the engine from 1960 to 1980 and reveal for the first time the full technical story behind the company going into receivership. The full history of the RB211 and Trent engine family is covered in the book “The History of the Rolls-Royce RB211 Turbofan engine” published by the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust and available for purchase at the lecture.
The RB211-22 three shaft turbofan engine was ordered by Lockheed in April 1968 to power the Lockheed L1011 Tristar aircraft. Securing the order was a great achievement by Rolls-Royce but the programme ran into technical difficulties, causing the company to go into receivership in February 1971. However, herculean efforts by Rolls-Royce and Lockheed enabled the programme to be saved and the engine entered service on 27 April 1972, four months later than originally planned. This programme laid the foundations for the subsequent developments of the engine which powered growth versions of the Tristar, the Boeing B747, B757 and B767 aircraft. It also formed the basis for the very successful Trent family which power today’s wide body aircraft.