X-Nico

unusual facts about aero engine



Flathead engine

Due to cooling and efficiency problems, flathead engines fell out of favor in "high power" applications, such as aircraft engines, prior to World War I, with rare execeptions like the American Aeronca E-107 opposed twin aero engine of 1930.


see also

Beardmore Halford Pullinger

Halford also later designed the de Havilland Gipsy aero engine, designed the first turbo charged racing car engine, the Halford Special and one of the first jet engines, the Halford H.1 later developed by de Havilland as the de Havilland Goblin.

De Havilland Iris

Notable as the first aero engine to be designed by Geoffrey de Havilland it was produced in small numbers between 1909 and 1910 by the Iris Motor Company of Willesden from which it took its name.

Dual ignition

The Hewland AE75, an inline 3-cylinder aero-engine created for the ARV Super2, had three ignition circuits, one for each cylinder.

Economy of Bristol

In the 20th century, Bristol's manufacturing activities expanded to include aircraft production at Filton, six miles (10 km) north of the city centre, by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and aero-engine manufacture by Bristol Aero Engines (later Rolls-Royce) at Patchway.

Flathead engine

A new arrival is the Belgian D-Motor LF26, a compact 2.7-litre flat-four aero-engine that has direct drive to a propeller, rather than a reduction gearbox.

Gnome et Rhône

With the end of the war, the company was in no condition to continue in the aero-engine business, although they picked up small contracts to produce M4 Sherman tanks for the French army.

Montague Napier

He was unable to design a satisfactory successor to the Lion, and therefore Napier was overtaken in the aero-engine market by Bristol and Rolls-Royce.

Norton Classic

The Norton Wankel engine was further developed at Staverton into the MidWest aero-engine.

Rolls-Royce Peregrine

In August 1940 Ernest Hives, head of the Rolls-Royce aero engine division, wrote to Air Chief Marshal Wilfrid Freeman expressing his wish to stop work on the Peregrine, Vulture and another engine development project, the Rolls-Royce Exe to concentrate efforts on the Merlin and Griffon, but Freeman disagreed and stated that Peregrine production should continue.

White Triplex

It was powered by three 27-litre Liberty aero-engines, for a total of 36 cylinders, 81 litre displacement and a claimed 1500 bhp.