In the Winter 2004 Issue of
Menasco Aircraft Engines and Their Air Racing Heritage, Part 2
Al Menasco’s air racing heritage, more than any other achievement, put his
engines “on the map.” From 1930 to 1937, Menasco engines won three times as many
air races in US and foreign closed course competition as all other brands
combined. They totally dominated their size classes (discouraging the entry of
rivals) and even scored key victories against much larger engines in Thompson
Trophy national air races. The Menasco racing engines were major technical
achievements, and only certain engineering obstacles forestalled even better
results.
The Quaint Valve Gear Mechanism of the British Sunbeam “Arab” Aero-Engine
The Sunbeam “Arab” V-8 engine of 1916-1918 will always be remembered
primarily as an engineering disaster. It was designed, tested and put into
production during a period of major military conflict and was thus subjected to
all the usual stress and pressure that occurs at such times. Short cuts were
taken, mistakes were made by both manufacturer and the War Department. Over
6,000 were ordered with more than 1,100 being constructed before it became
apparent that the engine had insurmountable problems. Arabs were being built by
the Austin Motor Car Co., Lanchester Motor Co., Napier & Son in Great Britain as
well as by Sunbeam itself. As with the Hispano-Suiza V-8, American production
was negotiated and some engines were built at the Willys-Overland Co. in Toledo,
Ohio. Of all these (mostly unused) engines, sadly not one has survived. In fact,
Sunbeam aero-engines today exist only in small numbers—about 15 worldwide
including five in Australia.
Ram Air Induction
Ideal ram air induction systems employ the circular cross section conical
diffusers of subsonic jets with all the niceties of textbook examples. One
worries about where such bulky devices will fit into existing crowded WWII
fighter airframes or even into similarly compact scratch built racers. Study of
existing designs yields evidence that “best efforts” along these lines, though
space limited and not as nearly optimum as required for incredibly air-hungry
turbine performance, are working very well for unlimited class racers. An
analytical/design/application approach evolved in the quest for better
understanding of ram air induction as it applies to recip powered unlimited
class (and other) racers.
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