Keith,
They were called "Rotary" engines. Gnome and LeRohne were the most
common. The Gnome had one valve per cylinder, a large exhaust valve in
the top center of the head. The Nine cylinder put out 165 hp. I talked
to a guy that flew them in WWI and he said they were totally unreliable
by today's (1968) standards. He was surprised that people were still
flying them ---- voluntarily. I met him while examining one a The Old
Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York in 1969.
Bryan
Keith Turk wrote:
> One of the engines had a radial spin around the crank... rather then
> the crank spinning..... think about that one for a second.... hmmm
> can't remember the name of it... but I've seen it several times in
> film...
>
> Keith
> -----
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