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This might well be the most defining radial engine ever. At the beginning of its 25-year production run, the nine-cylinder R-1820 produced 575 hp. But various design enhancements over the years would eventually make the air-cooled radial engine a 1,525 hp workhorse. Thanks to its low maintenance and favorable weight-to-power ratio, the R-1820 was selected as the engine of choice for a wide variety of aircraft, tanks and helicopters. It was also license built in Spain and the Soviet union and thus when war broke out, it could be found at both axis and allied sides.
To give you guys an idea of what the size of the portfolio of this humble nine cylinder radial was...
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Boeing 307
Brewster F2A
Curtiss AT-32-A Condor
Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver
Curtiss P-36 Mohawk
Curtiss SC Seahawk
Curtiss-Wright CW-21
Douglas A-33
Douglas B-18
Douglas DC-2
Douglas DC-3 (DST, G-102 and G-202)
Douglas Super DC-3, R4D-8 / C-117
Douglas DC-5
Douglas SBD Dauntless
FMA AeMB.2 Bombi
General Motors FM-2 Wildcat
Grumman TF-1 / C-1 Trader
Grumman FF-1
Grumman F3F
Grumman HU-16 Albatross
Grumman J2F Duck
Grumman S-2 Tracker
Lockheed 14
Lockheed Lodestar
Lockheed Hudson
Martin B-10
North American NA-44
North American O-47
North American P-64
North American T-28B/C/D Trojan
Northrop YC-125 Raider
Piasecki H-21
Polikarpov I-16
Ryan FR Fireball
Sikorsky S-58/HUS/HSS/H-34
That's an impressive service record, no matter how you slice it.
Now when aircraft engines are discussed, people say that it's all about THAT sound and the Cyclone is no different in that aspect, since it has a very recognizable sound.
Note for example how different the Grumman Avenger (Powered by a Wright R-2600-20 double row radial) sounds from the Grumman Tracker (Powered by Normal single row Cyclones) in this video.
Currently, sixty years after the very last one was made, the Cylcone is still going strong, powering warbirds but also because many post-war planes still make good use of the humble Cyclone daily.
This might well be the most defining radial engine ever. At the beginning of its 25-year production run, the nine-cylinder R-1820 produced 575 hp. But various design enhancements over the years would eventually make the air-cooled radial engine a 1,525 hp workhorse. Thanks to its low maintenance and favorable weight-to-power ratio, the R-1820 was selected as the engine of choice for a wide variety of aircraft, tanks and helicopters. It was also license built in Spain and the Soviet union and thus when war broke out, it could be found at both axis and allied sides.
To give you guys an idea of what the size of the portfolio of this humble nine cylinder radial was...
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Boeing 307
Brewster F2A
Curtiss AT-32-A Condor
Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver
Curtiss P-36 Mohawk
Curtiss SC Seahawk
Curtiss-Wright CW-21
Douglas A-33
Douglas B-18
Douglas DC-2
Douglas DC-3 (DST, G-102 and G-202)
Douglas Super DC-3, R4D-8 / C-117
Douglas DC-5
Douglas SBD Dauntless
FMA AeMB.2 Bombi
General Motors FM-2 Wildcat
Grumman TF-1 / C-1 Trader
Grumman FF-1
Grumman F3F
Grumman HU-16 Albatross
Grumman J2F Duck
Grumman S-2 Tracker
Lockheed 14
Lockheed Lodestar
Lockheed Hudson
Martin B-10
North American NA-44
North American O-47
North American P-64
North American T-28B/C/D Trojan
Northrop YC-125 Raider
Piasecki H-21
Polikarpov I-16
Ryan FR Fireball
Sikorsky S-58/HUS/HSS/H-34
That's an impressive service record, no matter how you slice it.
Now when aircraft engines are discussed, people say that it's all about THAT sound and the Cyclone is no different in that aspect, since it has a very recognizable sound.
Note for example how different the Grumman Avenger (Powered by a Wright R-2600-20 double row radial) sounds from the Grumman Tracker (Powered by Normal single row Cyclones) in this video.
Currently, sixty years after the very last one was made, the Cylcone is still going strong, powering warbirds but also because many post-war planes still make good use of the humble Cyclone daily.
