I got this in an email this morning. Below is the text. Enjoy!
All 28 cylinders and 56 spark plugs!
As a 17 year old, I went to aircraft mechanic school at Sheppard AFB Texas and was trained on the B-36 and these engines that were installed on that aircraft. I remember starting one like this and my classmate was standing "Fireguard" with a fifty pound fire bottle. The engine backfired and he jumped three feet straight up with that bottle cradled in his arms.
Pratt & Whitney R-4360-20 first start
The 4360 powered the B-50, successor to the B-29 and later the B-36, to name a few. And although reliable in flight, the Wasp Major was maintenance-intensive. Improper starting technique could foul all 56 spark plugs, which would require hours to clean or replace. As with most piston aircraft engines of the era, the time between overhauls of the Wasp Major was about 600 hours when used in commercial service.
Why am I sending this to you? Because it looks and sounds neat. That's all. Just a test stand video of a newly restored engine. But turn the speakers all the way up. Bask in the roar of twenty-eight cylinders belching the sound of freedom. Also, the sound will most likely clear out the cat, your wife and any other extemporaneous people not accustomed to military sounds and the glorious roar of a Pratt & Whitney "round" engine. As the Warbird people say, "Jets are for kids."
http://vimeo.com/16117810 (http://vimeo.com/16117810)
I dont know the slightest thing about aircraft engines exept for the fact that thing is totally sweet.
Thanks for sharing.
Quote from: Nolatoolguy on June 26, 2012, 04:51:46 PM
I dont know the slightest thing about aircraft engines exept for the fact that thing is totally sweet.
Thanks for sharing.
I betcha I know even less but I did enjoy that video
Man! It's going on a Corsair! Woot! One of the finest Navy fighters of WW II!! Remember the TV show?
This is the engine that moves one of these:
I was watching Youtube one night, Sherman tank engine start, Tiger tank engine start, B-17 flyby, you know. Wife comes in the room, just what movie are you watching? Nothing like a deep throated radial cranking up or doing a flyby, does something funny to the diaphragm. What I would like to hear but have not found yet is the sound of the V-12 gasser, in an army M-88 tank retriever, belch, cough,, finally rev up, but when under load,,,, oh sweet.
Without a doubt, one of the sweetest sounds known to man!
But, I thought I detected the slightest of engine misses from one of the spark plugs in the 19th cylinder!
Will you volunteer for the 5 hour spark plug change?
John K,
I had the privilege of hearing one under full load at close enough range that my eyebrows were singed and I needed burn salve for my face. I was in an M60 tank drivers seat at the time, being towed by an M88 with a tow bar. The tank I was in had thrown a track to the inboard side while the klutz driving it was trying to get the tank out of a mudhole. ( I was not the klutz) We got it unstuck, but I nearly died of asphyxiation. 850 HP of exhaust is really hard to breathe, but yes, they do sound cool in full song. Sure wish I had thought to close the hatch before the fun started. BTW, the 850HP v-12 in the M88 is a Continental Multifuel. It is basically the same as the M-60 750 HP Multifuel. The run best on diesel fuel, but will run on almost anything from gasoline to peanut oil.
Quote from: Papaw on June 27, 2012, 05:25:14 PM
Will you volunteer for the 5 hour spark plug change?
With the honor involved with working on such a glorious chunk of "man-made-pleasure", I'd do it and wouldn't even charge for the privilege!