| Industry | Aerospace, automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1918 |
| Defunct | 1920 |
| Fate | Liquidated, taken over |
| Successor | Bristol Aeroplane Company |
| Headquarters | Fishponds,England,UK |
Key people | Roy Fedden |
Cosmos Engineering was a company that manufacturedaero-engines in a factory inFishponds,Bristol duringWorld War I. SirRoy Fedden, the company's principal designer, developed the 14-cylinder radialMercury engine during this period. The company was taken over by theBristol Aeroplane Company in 1920.
In 1918 the Anglo-American company Cosmos boughtStraker-Squire (also known asBrazil Straker), a car and bus manufacturing firm which had branched out into aircraft engine repair and manufacture. This began by first reconditioning, then substantially redesigning and re-manufacturingCurtiss OX-5 engines.[1] Due to the quality of this work, they were the only company permitted to manufacture Rolls-Royce aircraft engines under licence, buildingHawk andFalcon engines, major components for theEagle engine and also 600Renault 80hp 8Ca engines.[1] Over 1,500 engines were produced in total.[1] The company was one of the first to be brought underAdmiralty control, and Fedden and his draughtsman Leonard Butler designed two engines during the war; the 14-cylinder Mercury and the larger, 9-cylinderJupiter.
In 1919 the range consisted of the 450 hpJupiter, the 300 hpMercury and the smaller 100 hpLucifer. On 9 April 1919 aBristol Scout F fitted with a Mercury engine set two British records atFarnborough achieving the time to 10,000 ft and 20,000 ft records.[2]
Despite selling off the engineering side of Brazil Straker,[3] which continued to successfully build cars, Cosmos Engineering also produced a small number ofFedden-designed cars. TheCosmos 10.5 of 1919, featured an air-cooled 3-cylinder radial layout 994-cc engine of 16 hp and pressed-steelwobbly-web wheels, and was significantly innovative for its time.[4][5] Only a limited number were made, and it was followed up by the larger10.5 CAR which never got beyond prototype stage.
Soon afterwards the company went intoliquidation and was taken over by theBristol Aeroplane Company in 1920. Operations then moved to a former flying school located on the northern edge ofFilton Aerodrome. The factory onLodge Causeway was subsequently taken over byParnall & Sons for shop and ship fitting and aircraft component manufacturing.
Related lists