Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military From: krees@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk (kearton rees) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Rotary engine airplane troubles Message-ID: <10716@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 28 Oct 89 04:22:00 GMT References: <10577@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Lines: 40 Approved: military@att.att.com From: kearton rees >From article <10577@cbnews.ATT.COM>, by entropy@pawl.rpi.edu (Speaker for the Clams): > From: Speaker for the Clams > > I've heard that some early WWI aircraft such as the > Fokker DR1 and Sopwith Pup were designed so that the engine > was fixed to the propeller shaft and the entire engine spun > round and round within the fuselage. > The result was that > these planes could execute very fast right turns but could > only turn left very slowly. > > Does anyone know for sure if this is true? If so, > how fast were the left and right turns, respectively? What > tactics were evolved to take advantage of this > peculiarity? > Yes, rotating-casing engines were used. I don't know in which planes though. The engine was the Gnome-LeRho^ne, which was a French engine though some were made in Britain by the firm W.H. Allen Ltd of Bedford. (This company is still in business and sould be able to give you more information.) I have no information on the manouverability or specifically developed tactics. Kearton #--------------------------------------------------------------# krees@axion.bt.co.uk British Telecom Research Labs., Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 7RE United Kingdom. #--------------------------------------------------------------#