The second Amphibium, or “Amphibium II”, constructed by the Jacob Goedecker Flugmaschinen-Werke in 1912. At the end of August 1912 Goedecker flyer Bernard de Waal took the newly developed “Amphibium” to the First German Seaplane Competition in Heiligendamm district. Due to technical problems the Goedecker flying boat achieved only 4th place in a field of 6 participants. A second flying boat with a more powerful engine was built and tested at the Mainzer Floßhafen, and stationed in a boathouse. In a strong storm on April 6, 1913, the “Amphibium II” was severely damaged and scrapped.
Small company at Niederwalluf-on-Rhine, built several Taube-type monoplanes prewar and Goedecker B trainer prototype in 1915. Also ran flying school. Closed at time of Versailles Peace Treaty.
Designed as a trainer by Phil Goard, the two seater was built by Bankstown, Australia based Goair Products. Of all metal construction and powered by a Lycoming O-235 of 115 hp. Designed over a four year period, and first appeared at the Avalon 95 show.
The 14N was a 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine designed and manufactured by Gnome-Rhône. A development of the pre-war Gnome-Rhône 14K, the 14N was used on several French and German aircraft of World War II.
Facing criticisms over the 14K’s reliability, Gnome-Rhône undertook a major upgrade of its 14-cylinder design, using different materials for the pistons and valves, and enlarging cooling surfaces by 39%.
The new 14N was introduced in 1937 and was quickly adopted on several aircraft models. In 1939, minor improvements allowed Gnome-Rhône to increase the compression ratio from 6.1:1 to 6.8:1, which resulted in increased power for wartime production aircraft.
The 14N was further developed into the Gnome-Rhône 14R featuring a 2-stage supercharger, but this type was not widely used until after World War II as production of improved engines was prohibited by the terms of the armistice with Germany.
The Gnome-Rhône 14K Mistral Major was a 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial engine. It was Gnome-Rhône’s major aircraft engine prior to World War II, and matured into a highly sought-after design that would see licensed production throughout Europe and Japan. Thousands of Mistral Major engines were produced, used on a wide variety of aircraft.
In 1921 Gnome-Rhône purchased a license for the highly successful Bristol Jupiter engine and produced it until about 1930, alongside the smaller Bristol Titan. Starting in 1926, however, they used the basic design of the Titan to produce a family of new engines, the so-called “K series”. These started with the 5K Titan, followed by the 7K Titan Major and 9K Mistral. By 1930, 6,000 of these engines had been delivered.
However, the aircraft industry at that time was rapidly evolving and producing much larger aircraft that demanded larger engines to power them. Gnome-Rhône responded by developing the 7K into a two-row version that became the 14K Mistral Major. The first test examples were running in 1929.
The Piaggio P.XI was a licensed derivative of the French Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major 14K produced in Italy. Isotta Fraschini also produced a version of the 14K called the K.14. Further development led to the P.XIX. This featured an increased compression rate from 6:1 to 7:1 and rpm from 2,400 to 2,600.
Piaggio P.XI
The Industria Aeronautică Română / IAR K14 was a licensed derivative of the French Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major 14K produced in Romania.
Variants IAR K14-II C32 693 kW (930 hp) engine. 44 for IAR P.24E IAR K14-II C32 – 649 kW (870 hp) engine. 50 built for IAR 37, 1 built for IAR 80 prototype IAR K.14-III C36 – 690 kW (930 hp) engine. 20 built for IAR 80, 95 built for IAR 37 IAR K.14-IV C32 – 716 kW (960 hp) engine. 30 built for IAR 80, 160 built for IAR 39, 2 built for IAR 47 prototypes IAR K.14-IV C32 1000A – 764 kW (1025 hp) engine. 430 built for IAR 80A, IAR 80B, IAR 80C, IAR 81A, IAR 81B, IAR 81C
Aircraft powered by G-R 14K derivatives Aero A.102 Heinkel He 70 IAR 37 IAR 80 Ilyushin DB-3 MÁVAG Héja Sukhoi Su-2 Weiss WM-21 Sólyom
Specifications:
Gnome-Rhône 14Kdrs Type: Fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine Bore: 146 mm (5.75 in) Stroke: 165 mm (6.5 in) Displacement: 38.72 l (2,363 in³) Diameter: 1,296 mm (51.02 in) Dry weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb) Valvetrain: Overhead valves Supercharger: Single-speed centrifugal type supercharger Fuel system: Stromberg carburetor Fuel type: 87 octane rating gasoline Cooling system: Air-cooled Reduction gear: 2:3 Power output: 743 kW (996 hp) at 2,390 rpm for takeoff 821 kW (1,100 hp) at 2,390 rpm at 2,600 m (8,530 ft) Specific power: 21.23 kW/l (0.47 hp/in³) Compression ratio: 5.5:1 Specific fuel consumption: 328 g/(kW•h) (0.54 lb/(hp•h)) Oil consumption: 20 g/(kW•h) (0.53 oz/(hp•h)) Power-to-weight ratio: 1.52 kW/kg (0.92 hp/lb)
IAR K14 Type: Fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine Bore: 146 mm (5.75 in) Stroke: 165 mm (6.5 in) Displacement: 38.72 l (2,363 in³) Diameter: 1,296 mm (51.02 in) Dry weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb) Valvetrain: Overhead valves Supercharger: Single-speed centrifugal type supercharger Fuel system: Stromberg carburetor Fuel type: 87 octane rating gasoline Cooling system: Air-cooled Power output: 743 kW (996 hp) at 2,390 rpm for takeoff 821 kW (1,100 hp) at 2,390 rpm at 2,600 m (8,530 ft) Specific power: 21.23 kW/l (0.47 hp/in³) Compression ratio: 5.5:1 Specific fuel consumption: 328 g/(kW•h) (0.54 lb/(hp•h)) Oil consumption: 20 g/(kW•h) (0.53 oz/(hp•h)) Power-to-weight ratio: 1.52 kW/kg (0.92 hp/lb)
Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 Type: 14-cylinder radial engine Bore: 146 mm (5.75 in) Stroke: 165 mm (6.50 in) Displacement: 38.6 l (2,360 cu in) Length: 1,700 mm (66.93 in) Diameter: 1,328 mm (52.28 in) Dry weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb) Frontal Area: 1.39 sq.m (15.0 sq ft) Valvetrain: 2 x overhead valves per cylinder operated by rockers and pushrods Supercharger: Centrifugal compressor, geared to 7.9:1 Fuel system: 1 x Piaggio T2-100 dual downdraught carburettor with automatic boost and mixture control Fuel type: 87 octane Oil system: Pressure fed at 482.6 kPa (70 psi), dry sump Cooling system: Air Reduction gear: Epicyclic reduction gear ratio 0.62:1 Starter: Garelli compressed air starter Ignition: 2 x Marelli MF14 magnetos, 2 x spark plugs per cylinder fed by a shielded ignition harness. Power output: Take-off: 1,000 hp (746 kW) at 2,200rpm Military: 1,000 hp (746 kW) at 2,200rpm at 4,000 m (13,000 ft) Cruising: 1,000 hp (746 kW) at 1,800rpm at 4,000 m (13,000 ft) Specific power: 19.1 kW/l (0.49 hp/cu in) Compression ratio: 6.0:1 Specific fuel consumption: 0.292 kg/kW/hr (0.48 lb/hp/hr) Oil consumption: 0.0134 kg/k/w/hr (0.022 lb/hp/hr) Power-to-weight ratio: 1.15 kW/kg (0.699 hp/lb)
The Gnome 7 Omega (commonly called the Gnome 50 hp) is a French seven-cylinder, air-cooled aero engine. It was shown at the Paris Aero Salon held in December 1908 and was first flown in 1909. The unit cost in 1909 was £520.
It was the world’s first rotary engine produced in quantity, and its introduction revolutionized the aviation industry and it was used by many early aircraft. 4,000 had been produced until 1914 (more later). It produced 50 horsepower (37 kW) from its capacity of 8 litres (488 cubic inches).
Gnome 50 hp
A Gnome Omega engine powers the 1912 Blackburn Monoplane, owned and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection, the oldest known airworthy British-designed aeroplane worldwide.
A two-row version of the same engine was also produced, known as the Gnome 14 Omega-Omega or Gnome 100 hp. The prototype Omega engine still exists, and is on display at the United States’ National Air and Space Museum.
Variants Gnome 7 Omega Single-row 7-cyl. original version; 50 hp (37 kW). Gnome 14 Omega-Omega Two-row, 14-cylinder version using Omega cylinders; 100 hp (75 kW).
Applications:
Gnome 7 Omega
Avro Type 500 Blackburn Mercury Blackburn Monoplane Blériot XI Bristol Boxkite Bristol Racing Biplane Bristol Monoplane Bristol-Prier P.1 Bristol-Coanda School Monoplane Bristol-Coanda T.B.8 Burga Monoplane Fabre Hydravion Henry Farman Type Militaire Grahame-White School Biplane Koolhoven Heidevogel Nieuport Monoplane Paulhan Biplane Pemberton-Billing P.B.9 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 Short S.27 Short Tandem Twin Short S.37 Tractor Monoplane Short Triple Twin Short S.47 Triple Tractor Short S.62 Sopwith Bee Sopwith Sparrow Valkyrie Type B Vickers No.6 Monoplane Vickers No.7 Monoplane Vickers Boxkite School Biplane
Gnome 14 Omega-Omega
Bristol Gordon England G.E.2 Coventry Ordnance Works Biplane 10 Nieuport Monoplane Short S.41 Tractor Biplane Short S.57 Seaplane Short S.64 Folder Seaplane Short S.74 Admiralty Seaplane
Specifications:
7 Omega Type: 7-cylinder, single-row, rotary engine Bore: 110 mm (4.3 in) Stroke: 120 mm (4.7 in) Displacement: 8 L (488.5 cu in) Length: 79 cm (31 in) Diameter: 84 cm (33 in) Dry weight: 75 kg (165 lb) Valvetrain: pressure-driven inlet valves were located on the pistons Oil system: Total loss, castor oil Cooling system: Air-cooled Reduction gear: Direct drive, right-hand tractor, left-hand pusher Power output: 37 kW (50 hp) at 1,200 rpm
The Monosoupape (French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (since 1915 called Gnome et Rhône). It used an arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated exhaust valve to replace a large number of moving parts found on more conventional rotary engines, and made the Monosoupape engines some of the most reliable of the era. British aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith described the Monosoupape as “one of the greatest single advances in aviation”.
Produced under license in Britain the engine was built in large numbers in both seven and nine-cylinder versions, the latter being produced with two different displacements.
Contrary to the Le Rhône designs, earlier Gnome engines like the Gnome Omega, Lambda and Delta used a unique arrangement of valves in order to avoid needing pushrods and other complex devices that operated during the inlet phase of the combustion cycle on more conventional engines. Instead, a single exhaust valve on the cylinder head was operated by a pushrod that opened the valve when the pressure dropped at the end of the power stroke. A pressure-operated inlet valve, which was balanced by a counterweight to equalize the centrifugal forces, was placed in the centre of the piston crown, where it opened to allow the fuel–air charge to enter from the engine’s central crankcase.
Although ingenious, the system had several drawbacks: the cylinder heads had to be removed both in order to perform maintenance of the intake valve, which could easily become jammed, and in order to adjust the timing and pressures correctly for the rod-less operation; and the Gnomes exhibited even poorer fuel economy than other rotaries because the inlet valves opened at times that were not efficient.
In 1913, Louis Seguin and his brother Laurent (engineers who founded the Société Des Moteurs Gnome [the Gnome motor company] in 1905) introduced the new Monosoupape series, which eliminated the inlet valve, replacing it with piston-controlled transfer ports similar to those found in a two-stroke engine. Beginning with the power stroke, the four-stroke engine operated normally until the piston was just about to reach the bottom of its stroke (bottom dead center, or BDC), when the exhaust valve was opened “early”. This let the still-hot burnt combustion gases “pop” out of the engine while the piston was still moving down, relieving exhaust pressure and preventing exhaust gases from entering the crankcase. After a small additional amount of travel, the piston uncovered 36 small ports around the base of the cylinder, leading to the crankcase which held additional fuel–air mixture (the charge). No transfer took place at this point since there was no pressure differential; the cylinder was still open to the air and thus at ambient pressure. The overhead valve exhausted directly into the slipstream since there was no exhaust manifold in order to save weight.
During the exhaust stroke, total scavenging occurred as the air moving past the cylinder exterior lowered the pressure inside due to the direct exposure of the exhaust port to the slipstream. The piston continued its exhaust stroke until top dead center (TDC) was reached, but the valve did not close. The piston began to move down on its intake stroke with the valve still open, pulling fresh (presumably un-filtered) air into the cylinder. It remained open until it was two-thirds of the way down, at which point the valve closed and the remainder of the intake stroke greatly reduced the air pressure. When the piston uncovered the transfer ports again, the low pressure in the cylinder drew in the balance of the charge.
The charge was an overly rich mixture of air, which was acquired through the hollow crankshaft, and fuel that was continuously injected by a fuel nozzle on the end of a fuel line, entering the crankcase through the hollow crankshaft. The nozzle was in the proximity of, and aimed at, the inside base of the cylinder where the transfer ports were located. The fuel nozzle was stationary with the crankshaft, and the cylinders rotated into position in turn. The compression stroke was conventional.
The spark plug was installed horizontally into the rear of the cylinder at the top but had no connecting high-voltage wire. An internal-tooth ring gear mounted on the engine drove a stationary magneto mounted on the firewall, whose high-voltage output terminal was in close proximity to the spark plug terminals as they passed by. This arrangement eliminated the need for points, distributor, high-voltage wiring and capacitors found in conventional mechanically timed ignition systems. This ring gear also drove the oil pump, which supplied oil to all bearings, and through hollow pushrods to the rockers and valves and also drove an air pump which pressurized the fuel tank. The later Gnome 9N engines had dual ignition systems for safety, with twin spark plugs per cylinder which were electrically wired, with the wires routed onto the crankcase and a central pair of magnetos driven by the spinning engine crankcase.
The Monosoupape had no carburetor or throttle, and since most of its air supply was taken in through the exhaust valve, it could not be controlled by adjusting the air supply to the crankcase like other rotaries. Monosoupapes therefore had a single petrol regulating control used for a limited degree of speed regulation. In early examples, engine speed could be controlled by varying the opening time and extent of the exhaust valves using levers acting on the valve tappet rollers, but this was later abandoned due to causing burning of the valves. Instead, a blip switch was used, which cut out the ignition when pressed. This was used sparingly to avoid damaging the engine, since it was only safe to be used when the fuel supply was also cut. Some later Monosoupapes were fitted with a selector switch which allowed the pilot to cut out three or six cylinders instead of all nine when hitting the blip switch, so that each cylinder fired only once per three engine revolutions but the engine remained in perfect balance.
The lubrication system, as with all rotary engines, was a total-loss type in which castor oil was injected into the fuel–air mix with a small pump. Castor oil was used because it could not be easily dissolved into the fuel, and because it possessed lubrication qualities superior to mineral oils of the day. Over two gallons of castor oil were sprayed into the air during each hour of engine operation. This explains why most rotaries were fitted with a roughly 270º perimeter “horseshoe”-shape ring cowl, with the lowermost quarter of the cowl omitted to be open at the bottom. The cowl directed the spray of castor oil, along with sparks from the exhaust, away from the flammable aircraft structure. Unburnt castor oil from the engine tended to be hurled into the pilot’s face, often having a laxative effect on the pilot if ingested.
Because the entire engine rotated, it had to be precisely balanced, requiring precision machining of all parts. As a result, Monosoupapes were extremely expensive to build, the 100 horsepower (75 kW) models costing $4,000 in 1916. However, they weighed slightly less than the earlier two-valve engines and also used less lubricating oil.
Variants:
Gnome Monosoupape 7 Type A (1916) Seven-cylinder rotary engine, 80 hp (60 kW). Bore and stroke: 110 x 150 mm (4.3 x 5.9 in). Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 (1916) Nine-cylinder rotary engine, 100 hp (75 kW). Bore and stroke: 110 x 150 mm (4.3 x 5.9 in). 2,188 units produced under license in Britain. Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type N (1917) Nine-cylinder rotary engine, larger diameter crankcase than the B-2, 150 or 160 hp (112 or 119 kW). Bore and stroke: 115 x 170 mm (4.5 x 6.7 in).
The Gnome 7 Lambda was a French designed, seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary aero engine that was produced under license in Britain and Germany. Powering several World War I era aircraft types it was claimed to produce 80 horsepower (60 kW) from its capacity of 12 litres (720 cubic inches) although recorded figures are lower.
Gnome 7 Lambda
Just under 1,000 units were produced in Britain, the majority (967) by the Daimler Company of Coventry. A 14-cylinder variant was known as the Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda.
In Germany Motorenfabrik Oberursel license-built the seven-cylinder engine as the Oberursel U.0 and later copied the 14-cylinder design and designated it as the Oberursel U.III.
Gnome 7 Lambda
Variants: Gnome 7 Lambda Seven-cylinder, single-row rotary engine. Gnome 7 Lambda (long stroke) Increased stroke of 145 mm (5.7 in) to raise the compression ratio to 3.87:1, and total displacement to 12.26 litres. Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda 14-cylinder, two-row rotary engine using Lambda cylinders. 160 hp (120 kW). Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.0 German production of the Gnome 7 Lambda – had a 124mm cylinder bore and 140mm piston stroke for a total displacement of 11.52 litres, external diameter of 1.020 meters.
Applications:
Gnome 7 Lambda Avro 504 Blackburn Type I Blériot Parasol Blériot XI Bristol Boxkite Bristol Gordon England G.E.3 Bristol-Coanda Monoplanes Bristol Coanda T.B.8 Bristol Coanda P.B.8 Bristol Scout Caudron G.III Deperdussin Type B Dunne D.8 Henry Farman F.20 Grahame-White G.W.15 L & P 4 Lowe Marlburian Nieuport IVG Nieuport 10 Radley-England Waterplane Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8 Royal Aircraft Factory B.S.1 Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4 Short S.37 Short S.38 Short S.41 Short S.60 Short S.70 Sopwith Gordon Bennett Racer Sopwith Pup Sopwith Sociable Sopwith Tabloid Sopwith Three-Seater Vickers No.8 Monoplane
Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda Avro 510 Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4 Deperdussin Monocoque Short S.63 Short S.64 Short S.70 Short S.74 Short S.80 Short S.81 Short S.82
Specifications:
Gnome 7 Lambda Type: 7-cylinder, single-row, rotary engine Bore: 124 mm (4.9 in) Stroke: 140 mm (5.5 in) Displacement: 11.8 L (721.2 cu in) Length: 112 cm (44 in) Diameter: 93 cm (36.6 in) Dry weight: 96 kg (212 lb) Valvetrain: Automatic centre-piston inlet valve, overhead exhaust valve (one each per cylinder) Cooling system: Air-cooled Reduction gear: Direct drive, right-hand tractor, left-hand pusher Power output: 50.3 kW (67.5 hp) at 1,250 rpm (maximum power) Compression ratio: 3.75:1
