Engine Pics Page 2

Ranger

The Ranger L440-1 was built by the Ranger Division of Fairchild Aircraft.  It was a 441 cu. in. inverted inline 6 cylinder air-cooled engine.   The engine produced between 175 and 200hp.  It was used to power the Fairchild 24, PT-19, and PT-26 trainers during WWII.  This engine eventually led to the development of the V-770 inverted 12 cylinder engine which was rated at 520hp.  It was essentially two ranger engines offset in a V fashion turning a common crankshaft.  The V-770 went on to power the XAT6-E which was essentially a Ranger powered T6 Texan.  The 770 also powered the Air Force's Fairchild AT-21 "Gunner"; a twin engine trainer for bomber crews that was used until 1944.

Rolls Royce

The Rolls Royce Merlin is probably the most recognizable engine of WWII.  The engine was a 1649 cubic inch V-12 engine with a dual stage supercharger.  It was developed from the Rolls Royce Model R engine that powered the Supermarine S.6 floatplane.  The S.6 won the Schneider Trophy for a seaplane racer in 1931 and later set an absolute world speed record of 407mph.  In 1935 the Merlin was rated at 850hp and powered the Hawker Hurricane.  In 1936 it powered the first Supermarine Spitfire and were rated at 950hp.  After the introduction of detachable heads and a dual stage supercharger it was adopted to use in the North American P-51 Mustang.  The Mustang's limiting factor was that it was a mediocre performer at high levels which decreased range and the ability to escort.  The Merlin turned the Mustang from a mediocre performer into a true high altitude long-range bomber escort and fighter.  The engine pictured is a -7.  The engine powered the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, Avro Lancaster, DeHavilland Mosquito, Handley-Page Halifax, and Vickers Wellington.  By the end of the war it could develop as much as 2,500hp.  After the war it became a popular engine to radically modify and power race planes.

Wright

This is the Wright R-790 J-5 Whirlwind.  It is a 788 cubic inch, 9 cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine.  The engine was designed in 1925.  It was a light engine for the time at 510lbs.  It produced 220hp at only 1,800 RPM's which prolonged the life and reliability of the engine.  It was used to power the Boeing N3N Yellow Peril, Consolidated PT-3, and most notably Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" which was the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927.

A Wright Cyclone-9 R-1820, 9-cylinder, radial engine capable of 1,425hp.  This engine has been built to be a "new" engine even though it's almost 50 years old.  It is the cleanest engine that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own eyes.  This engine powered the North American T-28 Trojan, Grumann F3F, HU-16 Albatross, J2F Duck, S2F Tracker, Douglas R4D Skytrain, and SBD Dauntless, but probably most widely known for powering the B-17 Flying Fortress.

The Wright Double Cyclone-13 R-2600 powered many of the aircraft during WWII.  There production of the engine included over 50,000 of the B Model alone.  The engine was arranged in two rows of seven cylinders each for a total of fourteen cylinders.  These engines had a power output from between 1,600hp-1,900hp. 

The B-29 was powered by four Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone-18 turbo supercharged engines.  The Cyclone was an 18 cylinder radial engine arranged in two rows.  It was rated from 2,200-2,800hp.  It was the engine of choice to power the C-119 Boxcar, Lockheed Constellation, A-1 Skyraider, Lockheed P2V Neptune, and the Douglas DC-7.  Later three Power Recovery Turbines were added to the engine to produce 3,500hp total which was called a Turbo Compound Engine.  These engines powered the L1049 Super Constellation and the L-1649 Starliner.

In this view you can see two of the three Power Recovery Turbines that are attached to this Turbo Compound R-3350.  They are the round silver and black objects mounted about halfway back on the engine.  They added about 600 additional horsepower to the basic engine.  They were plumbed into the exhaust of the Cyclone engine which spun up the turbines.  These turbines then turned a shaft which was splined directly back into the output shaft of the engine.  This was a very efficient way to turn about 20% of the engines heat energy that was normally wasted into usable power for the engine.

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© Brian Whittingham 2004