DAYTON, Ohio -- LeRhone C-9 on display in the Research & Development Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Note: This engine is located in the Research & Development Gallery on a controlled-access portion of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The gallery will close until further notice beginning May 1, 2013, as part of budget reduction requirements due to sequestration.
The LeRhone C-9 was a French air-cooled rotary engine rated at 80 hp. It was installed in combat airplanes early in World War I, but as larger and more powerful engines were developed, it was gradually relegated to training-type airplanes.
LeRhone engines were being manufactured in England, Italy and the United States in addition to France. In fact, the German-produced 110-hp Oberursel was practically an exact copy of the 110-hp LeRhone.
