Surprisingly enough, when I went to undergrad Aeronautical school, Cal Poly
at San Luis Obispo, Ca. we had a rotary LeRhone engine mounted on a stand.
It was fun to start that puppy and watch all the whirling parts. Seeing the
entire engine turn with the prop was awesome. Yes, it was a booger to turn
because of the torque needed to over come the gyro effects.
mayf
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray McCrary" <spook01@home.com>
To: <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>; <tigers@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 7:02 AM
Subject: ww1 a/c
> Actually, most WW1 aircraft used water cooled engines such as the Liberty.
> The Rhone rotary, which you mention, was a rather weird exception, not
> having a throttle at all, merely a "blip switch". The engine ran at full
> power; to land, you interrupted the ignition. It was difficult to make,
and
> the main problem for a fighter was the centrifugal force inherent in
> rotating objects. The "gyro" action of the engine made the aircraft less
> maneuverable.
> Best,
> Ray McCrary
> "Speed is Life;
> of course Luck and Altitude
> are helpful, too."
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