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  • Curtiss D-12

    The 375-hp Curtiss D-12 engine, introduced in 1921, became one of the most successful aircraft engines of the 1920s. Developed from Curtiss' K-12 engine used in World War I, the D-12 replaced the gears connecting the crankshaft to the propeller with a more reliable direct-drive connection, hence the

  • Almen A-4 Barrel

    The water-cooled A-4 barrel engine (18 cylinders -- two groups of nine each horizontally opposed) was the fourth experimental barrel engine built for testing at McCook Field, Ohio, by its inventor, Mr. J.O. Almen of Seattle, Wash. The project began in 1921 and by the mid-1920s, the A-4 passed its

  • Liberty 12-A Inverted

    The inverted Liberty is a conversion of the famous Liberty 12, one of America's greatest technological contributions during World War I. During the war, 20,478 Liberty 12s were produced in the United States and used primarily in U.S.-built DH-4s, the only American-made airplane to get into combat

  • Liberty 12-Cylinder

    Note:  This engine has been removed from display.America's major technological contribution to World War I was the "Liberty" aircraft engine. It was light, powerful and efficient. America's auto industry turned out 20,478 of them for the war. The Liberty engine continued in military and civilian use

  • Boeing P-12E

    The P-12 was the US Army’s last biplane fighter. Developed by the Boeing Airplane Company in the late 1920s, the P-12 served the United States’ Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marine Corps as a highly maneuverable pursuit plane and trainer in the 1930s. The P-12 evolved through five models (B through F)

  • Curtiss P-6E Hawk

    Starting in 1925 with the P-1, Curtiss built a long series of fighters carrying the name "Hawk." Of the eight different P-6 models produced, the P-6E remains the best known. Originally designated the Y1P-22, the U.S. Army Air Corps redesignated this aircraft the P-6E because of its similarity to the

  • Wright 6-60 Engine

    The U.S. Army Signal Corps used Wright 6-cylinder, water-cooled engines to power its Wright Model C and D airplanes. Although originally rated at 50 hp, this improved version of the Wright 6-cylinder possessed 60 hp ("6-60" referred to its 6-cylinder-60-hp capacity).Click here to return to the Early

  • Sturtevant 5A

    The Sturtevant 5A engine, rated at 140 hp, powered the Sturtevant S-4 and some L.W.F. V-1 training airplanes used by the Signal Corps at North Island, Calif., and Mineola, N.Y., during 1916 and 1917. Neither of these airplanes proved suitable, partly because of the 5A engine's high power to weight

  • Roberts Model 4-X

    This four-cylinder, water-cooled engine was made by the Roberts Motor Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, around 1910. Roberts used secret alloys it called "Aerotite" and "Magnalium" to enhance performance and reduce weight. The motor, weighing 170 pounds and developing 50 hp, was used in some Benoist and

  • Kirkham Four-Cylinder

    Charles B. Kirkham of Savona, N.Y., made this four-cylinder, water-cooled engine around 1912-1914. Its exact origin is unclear, but Hillery Beachy, a well-known early aviator, was likely involved in its design or use. Though it resembles an auto engine, similar Kirkham motors powered several early