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23-638: Wright introduced the J-6 Whirlwind family in 1928 to replace the nine-cylinder R-790 series. The J-6 family included varieties with five, seven, and nine cylinders. The seven-cylinder version was originally known as the J-6 Whirlwind Seven , or J-6-7 for short. The U.S. government designated it as the R-760 ; Wright later adopted this and dropped the J-6 nomenclature. Like all the members of

46-513: A greater RPM limit. The even more powerful R-760E-2 of 1935 could reach 350 hp (261 kW) for takeoff due to increased supercharging and an even higher RPM limit. On the other hand, the R-760E-T, designed for trainer aircraft, had the R-760E-1's high-compression pistons, but the supercharger was removed, thus giving just 235 hp (175 kW). The R-760 was a direct replacement for

69-603: A single Whirlwind J-5C. During Lindbergh's flight, the engine ran continuously for 33.5 hours. Lindbergh's achievement greatly boosted the Whirlwind's already good reputation. Some other historic long-duration flights made in aircraft powered by the J-5 Whirlwind: Charles L. Lawrance , who developed the original Whirlwind series and became president of Wright, won the 1927 Collier Trophy for his work on air-cooled radial aircraft engines. The J-5 Whirlwind

92-603: A version of the J-1 with slightly enlarged bore and displacement. However, Lawrance decided the J-1 was large enough, and the J-2 never went into production; only two examples were built. Over the next two years, Wright gradually refined the J-1 engine, introducing the J-3, J-4, J-4A, and J-4B. The changes improved the engine's reliability, cooling, and fuel consumption, but the basic design, dimensions, and performance were unaltered. The J-4

115-546: A wide range of U.S. civil aircraft, including the earliest versions of the Fokker Trimotor and Ford Trimotor airliners. The reliability of J-5 Whirlwind engines also led aviators to use them for a number of record-setting distance and endurance flights. The most famous of these is Charles Lindbergh 's solo transatlantic flight from New York City to Paris on May 20–21, 1927, in the Spirit of St. Louis , powered by

138-673: Is an R-760E-2 exhibited at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon . Data from FAA type certificate data sheet for the R-760E-2; dimensions from Curtiss-Wright (1983). Related development Comparable engines Related lists The following Federal Aviation Administration type certificate data sheets, all available from the FAA's Regulatory and Guidance Library Archived 2016-11-12 at

161-762: The Lawrance J-1 , a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial developed in 1921 by the Lawrance Aero Engine Company for the U.S. Navy. The Navy was very enthusiastic about air-cooled engines, which it considered better suited for naval use than liquid-cooled ones. Lawrance was a small company, though, and the Navy doubted it could produce enough engines for its needs. Despite urgings from the Navy, the major U.S. aircraft engine makers, Wright and Curtiss , were satisfied with their liquid-cooled engines and showed no interest in building air-cooled engines. Since

184-542: The Wayback Machine : Wright R-790 The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation , with a total displacement of about 790 cubic inches (12.9 L) and around 200 horsepower (150 kW). These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwind engine family. The R-790 Whirlwind began as

207-484: The bore . This family included three members: the nine-cylinder R-975 , the seven-cylinder R-760 , and the five-cylinder R-540 , providing a range of different power levels using the same basic design. Of these, the R-975 proved the most popular, especially because of its use in armored fighting vehicles during World War II . During the mid-1930s, Wright also developed two fourteen-cylinder double-row versions of

230-442: The 350 200 hp Whirlwind Engines available that year. The J-5 was the last of the original nine-cylinder Whirlwinds. In 1928, it was replaced by the seven-cylinder Whirlwind J-6 . Many Whirlwind engines were used in U.S. Navy aircraft, mostly in trainers, but also in some ship-based observation and fighter aircraft. As the engines were refined and their reputation for reliability grew, their use expanded to U.S. Army trainers and

253-527: The J-5 Whirlwind as the R-790, but it did not apply this designation to the older engines. All these engines had a bore of 4.5 in (11.4 cm), a stroke of 5.5 in (14.0 cm), and a displacement of 788 in (12.91 L). In a 1928 report on transcontinental aviation, the author disclosed the cost of a typical five-seat commercial aircraft as $ 12,500, of which $ 5,000 was for one of

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276-479: The J-6 Whirlwind family, the R-760 had larger cylinders than the R-790. The piston stroke of 5.5 in (14.0 cm) was unchanged, but the cylinder bore was expanded to 5.0 in (12.7 cm) from the R-790's bore of 4.5 in (11.4 cm). While the R-790 was naturally aspirated , the R-760, like the other J-6 engines, had a gear-driven supercharger to boost its power output. Over time, Wright refined

299-540: The Lawrance company in 1923 and build the J-1 itself. Wright's J-1 was the first engine in its nine-cylinder R-790 Whirlwind series and was quickly followed by the J-3, J-4, J-4A, J-4B, and finally the popular and successful J-5 of 1925. In 1928, Wright replaced the R-790 series with the J-6 Whirlwind family, in which a supercharger was added to boost engine power and the cylinders were enlarged by expanding

322-536: The Navy was already a major buyer of Wright engines, it pressured Wright into purchasing Lawrance and building the J-1 itself, by informing the company that the Navy would buy no more of its existing engines or spare parts. To retain the Navy's business, Wright complied in 1923 and the Lawrance J-1 became the Wright J-1. By the time Lawrance merged with Wright, it had already developed the more powerful J-2,

345-512: The R-760, including models built by Beechcraft , Cessna , Curtiss-Wright , Howard DGA-8 , Stearman , Stinson , and Waco . These aircraft generally used the various supercharged versions of the R-760. Production of the R-760 continued until 1945, with about 1400 examples being built by Wright, and more under licence by foreign manufacturers such as Fábrica Nacional de Motores in Brazil . Wright R-760 engines on display are uncommon, but there

368-513: The R-760, using suffix letters to indicate successive versions. The original R-760 (or J-6-7) was rated for 225 hp (168 kW), while the R-760E of 1931 could do 250 hp (186 kW) thanks to an improved cylinder head design. Wright later added another suffix to show different power levels. The R-760E-1, introduced the same year as the R-760E, had a takeoff power rating of 300 hp (224 kW) thanks to higher-compression pistons and

391-767: The R-790, with similar displacement and power. The U.S. Navy used it as the powerplant for several biplane primary trainers , including the Consolidated NY , the Curtiss N2C Fledgling , and the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Canary . The last of these was produced in large numbers, with most of the engines built under license by the Naval Aircraft Factory. Trainers usually had the unsupercharged R-760E-T engine. A variety of civil utility aircraft also used

414-650: The Whirlwind J-5 ; dimensions from "Model Designations of U.S.A.F. Aircraft Engines" Related development Related lists Wright Whirlwind The Wright Whirlwind was a family of air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical (originally an independent company, later a division of Curtiss-Wright ). The family began with nine-cylinder engines, and later expanded to include five-cylinder and seven-cylinder varieties. Fourteen-cylinder twin-row versions were also developed, but these were not commercially produced. The Whirlwind series

437-734: The Whirlwind, the R-1510 of 600 hp (450 kW), and the R-1670 of 800 hp (600 kW). These were used in a number of military aircraft prototypes, but neither engine reached the production stage. Air-cooled Whirlwinds were lighter and more reliable than liquid-cooled engines of similar power, since a liquid cooling system added weight and required extra maintenance. Thanks to these advantages Whirlwind engines were used widely and were built in large numbers. Licensed copies were produced by manufacturers such as Continental Motors , Hispano-Suiza , and adapted for Soviet government production by

460-586: The military R-790 equivalents) on display: Also on display at the San Francisco International Airport, International Terminal. Older Whirlwinds on display are harder to find. The National Museum of Naval Aviation has two J-4s, one of which is a cutaway. The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks , Connecticut , has a Lawrance J-1 , the Whirlwind's direct predecessor. Data from Type certificate data sheet for

483-669: Was built by Hispano-Suiza in France . The Whirlwind J-5 was also produced under license in Poland by several makers. Among these were Polskie Zakłady Skody , the Polish branch of Škoda Works , which built about 350 to 400 engines from 1929 to 1931, and the Polish firm Avia , which manufactured a further 300 engines from 1935 to 1938. Polish-built J-5s were used in numerous Polish aircraft, mostly in military training, observation, and liaison aircraft. Some museums which have J-5 Whirlwinds (or

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506-599: Was succeeded by more powerful but still air-cooled radial aero engines, notably the Pratt & Whitney Wasp series and the Wright Cyclone series . The Whirlwind was a direct descendant of the Lawrance J-1 , a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial built by the Lawrance Aero Engine Company for the U.S. Navy. Because the Navy was very enthusiastic about air-cooled radials, but was concerned that Lawrance could not produce enough engines for its needs, it forced Wright to purchase

529-507: Was the first engine to bear the Whirlwind name; previous engines used only the alphanumeric code. The J-5 Whirlwind, introduced in 1925, was a complete redesign of the engine with greatly improved cooling and breathing, further increasing its reliability and reducing fuel consumption. Among the visible changes was the much wider separation between the valves, for better cooling airflow, and completely enclosed, instead of exposed pushrods and rocker arms . The U.S. government later designated

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