[TheForge] Safety -- Turning Things Off

[John Husvar]

WW1, they had the same problem with the rotaries like the LeRhone. Cylinders
and crankcase rotated around the pistons, rods and crank. Huge rotating mass
was the reason many WW1 planes turned better in one direction.

> 
> 
> Jerry Frost wrote:
>> Aileron.
>> 
>> The rudder controls yaw, ailerons control roll and engine torque causes
>> roll.
>> 
>> Things were FAR harder in radial engine aricraft. They had so much
>> gyroscopic force from the engine all control actions were through 90*.
>> Pull back on the stick and turn left, push forward and turn right.
>> 
>> Killed a lot of pilots taking off, some just taxiing.
> 
> Oh yeah, that was the other big torque hazard.  When throttling up, you
> have to go slow and easy.  Engine would otherwise flip the plane right
> over where it stood.
> 
> Those radial engines were such works of art.  I used to have the master
> rod out of an old 9 cylinder Franklin.  The Franklin Institute in Philly
> has a Pratt & Whitney R3000 cutaway on a stand.  IIRC it was the
> largest, most powerful, and most complex radial engine ever made.  You
> should see it... the complexity of the mechanism will make your head
> hurt just trying to take it all in.  Thousands of parts... maybe 10
> thousand, I do not know.  It is mind numbing to think that each and
> every one of those bit were designed completely by hand, so to speak.
> Not a computer used in any of it.  I wonder if contemporary engineers
> could do the same?  The R3000 is a triple radial and each row of
> cylinders has several superchargers running off of PTO shafting geared
> to the crank.  If you're ever in Philly, I highly recommend the
> Franklin.  Go see the engine, but bring your aspirin - you'll probably
> need it. :)
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