And I believe that there were some cars that had a rotary engine too...
I don't know about cars with rotaries, but if you look at the mechanical details, a Harley engine is effectively a two cylinder radial. Which is why both Harleys and radial engine airplanes sound so cool.
"What is this, the Congress Avenue Independence Day Parade?" - Capt. Karl von Stahlberg, RTN Republic of Texas Navy Archives
And I believe that there were some cars that had a rotary engine too...
I don't know about cars with rotaries, but if you look at the mechanical details, a Harley engine is effectively a two cylinder radial. Which is why both Harleys and radial engine airplanes sound so cool.
I actually saw it on a TV show a while back, older car, probably pre-WWII...
“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.” - Norman Thomas, a six time candidate for president for the Socialist Party, 1944
And I believe that there were some cars that had a rotary engine too...
I don't know about cars with rotaries, but if you look at the mechanical details, a Harley engine is effectively a two cylinder radial. Which is why both Harleys and radial engine airplanes sound so cool.
I actually saw it on a TV show a while back, older car, probably pre-WWII...
Huh, you learn something every day. Since the engine turns counter-clockwise, I wonder if it was easier to make right turns than left turns, Like BE603 mentioned with rotary engine planes?
"What is this, the Congress Avenue Independence Day Parade?" - Capt. Karl von Stahlberg, RTN Republic of Texas Navy Archives
Captain Wheelgun wrote:Huh, you learn something every day. Since the engine turns counter-clockwise, I wonder if it was easier to make right turns than left turns, Like BE603 mentioned with rotary engine planes?
I have to wonder if such a device would have meant a smoother ride than other contemporary vehicles given that they were far before modern suspensions?
The gyroscopic effect of such a large mass must have been immense.
Of course, the vibration of the engine may have offset that.
“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.” - Norman Thomas, a six time candidate for president for the Socialist Party, 1944
Priceless. Be sure to read all the comments on the YT link. There are very funny parody lyrics...
My claim to fame is that I once helped carry several RO 80 Wankel engines to a dumpster. Those came apart in handy slices. Alas, it was in the days before ebay. They'd probably be worth real money now...
I always enjoyed the story about the French pilot who flew a Rotary engine fighter. An early Spad IIRC. Anyway the castor oil used for engine lube really, really got to him. So he had a hole cut into his trousers, one in his seat, and through the bottom of the fuselage. " I try to hold it till I'm over the German lines." It must of been fun for the mechanics, they had to drain the castor oil out of the engine while it was still hot, otherwise a complete tear down was necessary. Then there was probably some feces splatter on the aircraft. Ah nothing smells like a burning mechanic and hot used castor oil in the afternoon.
Castor oil gels after being heated and cooled, thus the need to drain while hot. Mechanics reheated the oil using various methods and dumped it back in the engines pre-mission. For a marvelous view of the internal workings of a radial engine the Mighty Eighth Air Fore Museum in in suburban Savannah( Pooler) Georgia has a stunning motorized cutaway of a P&W R 2800(IIRC) that made my eyeballs ache just trying to watch all the clockworks churning in that thing.
And the rest of the Museum is an awesome place, too!!
