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Books about aircraft engines are not confined strictly to collectors' dusty shelves. New ones are being published all the time. Many of these books, both old and new are reviewed in this section. Please note that the opinions expressed herein are those of the reviewers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Aircraft Engine Historical Society. If you have a different impression of a book, send us a review!
Reviewed by Douglas G. Culy A.L. Kay has produced two volumes from his extensive files on turbine engines that cover most of the early history of turbojet, turboprop, and turboshaft engine development. The good news is that there are many, many photos and much historic detail not before put in any publications this reviewer has seen in his 47 ½ years of participation in and observation of the engine business. For those reasons alone, these two books are must-haves for our libraries. The bad news is that some engines are mentioned without photographs or historic details. One possible explanation for part of this omission is the great difficulty of getting permission from some picture holders, who are also writers or publishers, to use their photos. Regretfully, several great early sources of historic detail seem not to have been used. Kay gives almost equal coverage to the airplanes that used these engines, which is useful, but not as satisfying as having those pages devoted to more engine discussion. There are also a few absolute errors of historic detail, coming from the books perhaps not having been carefully reviewed by other knowledgeable engine historians. The best presentation is of Whittle’s work, with more illustrations than in larger treatments of Whittle. Rolls-Royce’s work seems somewhat truncated. This may have prompted a Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust reviewer of Volume 1 to chide Kay for the use of kiloponds rather than kilograms or pounds for engine thrust. It should be noted that some schools taught that units of mass should be distinguished from units of force, and that indiscriminant use of “pounds” was not satisfactory for purists. Therefore, Kay is careful in using the proper and harder-to-confuse term. Metrovick’s engines are not all discussed, leaving Metropolitan-Vickers’ contributions (as available in the U.S.) confined to a few publications of the late 1940s. However, the Armstrong-Siddeley discussion is thorough, as is that of Bristol engines. Junkers and BMW engines are fully covered, but few of von Ohain’s engine variants are omitted. The size comparison, on one page, of the German jet engines is still the best graphic explanation of the problem German airframe manufacturers had in readying the first jet aircraft for production. The Daimler-Benz effort is covered more thoroughly than elsewhere, and we are reminded that D-B or Metrovick produced the world’s first turbofan engine. D-B’s was also the first geared turbofan, of which type P&W is now finally putting much effort on. Kay sheds much light on early Russian engine development, particularly that of Lyulka and Kuznetsov. He treats us to a few more pictures and a little more data on the NK-12 and its predecessors. It is a shame that more is apparently not available. Ditto for the P&WA PT-5/T57, both tying for the worlds largest turboprops, still; since it is yet to be demonstrated that Europrop can design, produce, and field a comparable engine today. The story of Klimov’s Nene copy is further amplified, and the overall discussion of Russian engines is the best yet seen in the English language. This reviewer suspects that there will be more to come when Russian aviation historians focus on engines. The Lockheed turbojet and turboprop engines that were non-starters are barely adequately covered, but the Northrop Turbodyne coverage is not even that; pictures and cross-sections of them are available elsewhere. The early General Electric engines are well covered (except that the T58 is given short shrift), but those of P&WA are not. Missing, are the gas-generator for the PT-1, the full story on the predecessors of the JT3, and as mentioned above, more on the PT-5/T57. The connection between GE-Lynn and GE-Schenectady is well explained. The Westinghouse story starts out well, but finishes without even pictures and adequate story of the J40, J46, and J54 engines; the first two being important because of what problems their failures caused the airframe industry. Similarly, the Allison story shorts us on what that company put into the J33 and J35 programs, and a bigger story on the transition from the T38 to the T56. The Wright Aeronautical story omits the T35, which was actually flown, and we don’t see a picture of the T49 that also was flown. Nor do we get a good discussion of the effort that Wright did put in on their Americanizing of the British Olympus engine. While Lycoming is mentioned, the details of the many models of the T53 and T55 are absent. Worse yet, Boeing’s turboshaft engines are not even pictured, nor given significant discussion, even though Boeing pioneered several U.S. aviation turbine engine applications before 1960. Discussion of Teledyne Continental is absent altogether. Fairchild’s two aviation turbine engines are mentioned but the J83 is not adequately discussed. The GE and P&WA nuclear turbojets are discussed, but not pictured, although pictures have been published elsewhere. Strangely, the nuclear engine discussion pictures the JT-11 Blackbird engine, without discussing it. The presentation of Japanese WWII jet engines is new and good. The French turbine engine story is also good, with satisfying detail on the origin of the Atar series as well as several other manufacturers’ engines that also have not had much discussion in previous English-language histories. However; the Turbomeca story is short a number of its very prolific lines of engines. The Canadian Orenda engine line is adequately presented, as are the Swedish Lysholm and STAL efforts, and the Swiss Escher-Wyss, Sulzer, Brown-Boveri, and EFW company efforts (the Swiss programs being a surprise, with a double surprise of their turbofan effort). The historic Hungarian Jendrassik turboprop engine is more fully discussed than yet seen, this ending Volume 2. Engine data tables are presented in the back of both volumes, and it is hoped that later editions will include more design-point data. Both volumes are in 8 1/2 x 11 format and are well printed and bound. In spite of the above criticism, which is meant to be
constructive for the next editions of these two volumes, they are still
must-have books.
Reviewed by Douglas G. Culy Master Motor Builders is a tour-de-force of aircraft engine history. Bob Neal’s work results from many years of deep and abiding interest in the Packard Motor Car Company; this book covers its non-automotive engines. Jesse G. Vincent, Packard’s top engineer, was chiefly responsible for Packard’s presence in aviation and marine engines, so this book is mainly the story of Vincent’s commitment and contributions. It takes the reader from the progenitor of the Liberty through Packard’s taking up and improving the Rolls-Royce Merlin to its efforts on turbojet and turbofan engines. On the marine side, the reader is taken from speed boat racing in the 1920s to torpedo boats in WWII. Not only does Neal provide new information on the Liberty and Packard-Merlin, but he illuminates the many engines in between. Neal also provides satisfying illustrations of every model, and many Packard advertisements are also included. The relationship between the marine and aviation lines is made clear. There is also major discussion of Packard's aero and marine diesel engines, including radial, inline, and V-8 types. Ten appendices expand on engine design specifics, production statistics, applications, and relevant patents. A thorough bibliography is included. Its paper and binding are of the highest quality, superior to that of most aviation books. This is an outstanding book and well worth its cost, even for the most demanding engine historian.
More Reviews By Precision Into Power: A Bicentennial Record of D. Napier & Son A Pictorial A to Z of Vintage and Classic Model Airplane Engines The Knife and Fork Man: The Life and Work of Charles Benjamin Redrup Wolseley Radial Aero Engines: Lord Nuffield's Thwarted Venture Beautiful Engines: Treasures of the Internal Combustion Century R-4360: Pratt & Whitney's Major Miracle Power To Fly: An Engineer's Life Rocket Development with Liquid Propellants El motor de la aviación (De la "A" a la "Z") Early Russian Jet Engines and Russian Piston Aero Engines German Jet Engine and Gas Turbine Development 1930–1945 The Bombing of Rolls-Royce at Derby An Account of Partnership - Industry, Government and the Aero Engine The Magic of a Name THE ROLLS-ROYCE STORY: The First 40 Years The Magic of a Name THE ROLLS-ROYCE STORY Part Two: The Power Behind the Jets Advanced Engine Development at Pratt & Whitney
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