 | |
| Industry | Aerospace engineering |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1902 |
| Defunct | 1975 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Parent |
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The Franklin Engine Company was an American manufacturer of aircraft engines. Its designs were used primarily in the civilian market, both in fixed wing and helicopter designs. It was briefly directed towards automobile engines as part of the Tucker Car Corporation, returning to aviation when that company failed. The company was later purchased by the Government of Poland.
The firm began as the H. H. Franklin Co. in 1902 in Syracuse, New York, US, to produce Franklin air-cooled automobiles. Barely surviving bankruptcy in 1933, the company was purchased by a group of ex-employees and renamed Air-cooled Motors in 1937. While the company kept the name of "Air-cooled Motors," its engines continued to be marketed under the Franklin name. [1] Engineers Carl Doman and Ed Marks kept the company alive through the depression by manufacturing air-cooled truck and industrial engines.
During World War II Air-cooled Motors was very successful producing helicopter and airplane engines. Several aircraft carried its engines, including the Aero-Flight Streak, Bartlett Zephyr, Bell 47, Bellanca Cruisair, Brantly B-1, Goodyear Duck, H-23 Raven, Hiller 360, Piper J-3F Cub, Seibel S-4, Sikorsky S-52, Stinson Voyager, Taylorcraft 15, Temco TE-1B, and the YT-35 Buckaroo.
Air-cooled Motors was purchased by Republic Aviation Company in 1945 to produce engines for its Republic Seabee light amphibious aircraft. [2] After the war, demand for the engines dropped dramatically and Republic was unsure of the company's future.
In 1947 Air-cooled Motors was purchased for $1.8 million by the Tucker Car Corporation to produce an engine for the 1948 Tucker Sedan. [3] After the purchase, Tucker cancelled all of the company's aircraft contracts so that its resources could be focused on making automotive engines for the Tucker. At the time Air-cooled Motors had held over 65% of postwar U.S. aviation engine production contracts. As a result of the shift, when the Tucker Car Corporation failed amidst allegations of stock fraud, Air-cooled nearly failed with it.
Tucker and the Tucker family owned the firm until 1961, when it was sold to Aero Industries, which restored the name Franklin Engine Company.
In 1975 the government of Poland bought the company and moved it to Rzeszów, first under the name PZL-Franklin and later PZL-F. The company is now called Franklin Aircraft Engines Sp. z o.o. with the address ul. Chełmińska 208 in 86-300 Grudziądz city in Poland [4] . At Aero Friedrichshafen 2016 the company had new engines on display. The innovations include modifications to the type certificate of the 6A-350; the approval for MOGAS, as well as fuel injection is pending at EASA.
New Franklin Engines built By Franklin Aircraft Engines Sp. z o.o. are available in the United States from Franklin aircraft engines, Inc. of Fort Collins Colorado. [5] In addition, there are a number of restoration and service options for "legacy" or rather original US built franklin engines. [5] Because of inherent engine balance, size , power to weight, and comparative cost to competing engines: franklins are popular choices for experimental aircraft and have a significant list of approved supplemental type certificates.
| Model name | Configuration | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin O-110 | O2 | 45 hp |
| Franklin O-120 | O2 | 60 hp |
| Franklin O-150 | O4 | 40 hp |
| Franklin O-170 | O4 | 60 hp |
| Franklin O-175 | O4 | 80 hp |
| Franklin O-180 | O4 | 80 hp |
| Franklin O-200 | O4 | 65 hp |
| Franklin O-225 | O4 | 75 hp |
| Franklin O-235 | O4 | 125 hp |
| Franklin O-265 | O6 | 110 hp |
| Franklin O-300 | O6 | 130 hp |
| Franklin O-335 | O6 | 225 hp |
| Franklin O-350 | O6 | 235 hp |
| Franklin O-400 | O8 | 235 hp |
| Franklin O-405 | O6 | 200 hp |
| Franklin O-425 | O6 | 240 hp |
| Franklin O-500 | O6 | 215 hp |
| Franklin O-540 | O8 | 300 hp |
| Franklin O-595 | O12 | 300 hp |
| Franklin O-805 | O12 | 450 hp |
PZL was the largest Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, and a brand of their aircraft. Based in Warsaw between 1928 and 1939, PZL introduced a variety of well-regarded aircraft, most notably the PZL P.11 fighter, the PZL.23 Karaś light bomber, and the PZL.37 Łoś medium bomber.
Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by the Russian aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923, and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use. It also produced seaplanes for passenger transport and surface vehicles such as trains and boats.
The Franklin Automobile Company was a marketer of automobiles in the United States between 1902 and 1934 in Syracuse, New York. Herbert H. Franklin, the founder, began his career in the metal die casting business before establishing his automobile enterprise. Controlled by Herbert H. Franklin it had very few other significant shareholders. Franklin bought its vehicles from the H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company which was only moderately profitable and frequently missed dividends on common stock.
Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and owned by Teledyne Technologies from 1969 until December 2010. The company is now part of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), which is a Government of the People's Republic of China state-owned aerospace company headquartered in Beijing.
A flat-six engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-six, is a six-cylinder piston engine with three cylinders on each side of a central crankshaft. The most common type of flat-six engine is the boxer-six engine, where each pair of opposed cylinders moves inwards and outwards at the same time. An alternative configuration for flat engines is a 180-degree V engine, where both cylinders move to the right then the left at the same time.
PZL Mielec, formerly WSK-Mielec and WSK "PZL-Mielec" is a Polish aerospace manufacturer based in Mielec. It is the largest aerospace manufacturer in postwar Poland. In 2007, it was acquired by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which retained the brand name. Between 1948 and 2014, the company manufactured approximately 15,600 aircraft.
PZL-104 Wilga is a Polish short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) civil aviation utility aircraft designed and originally manufactured by PZL Warszawa-Okęcie, and later by European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), who had acquired the original manufacturer during 2001.
The PZL-Mielec M-20 Mewa is a licence-built version of the Piper PA-34 Seneca II manufactured in Poland by WSK PZL Mielec in a limited series from the 1980s.
The PZL I-22 Iryda, otherwise known as the PZL M93 Iryda and PZL M96 Iryda, was a twin-engine, two-seat military jet trainer aircraft developed and produced by Polish aviation company PZL Mielec.
The PZL-101 Gawron (rook) is a Polish agricultural and utility aircraft designed and built by WSK-Okęcie.
The Franklin O-335 was an American air-cooled aircraft engine of the 1940s. The engine was of six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed layout and displaced 335 cu in (5.5 L). The power output of later variants was 225 hp (168 kW).
The Shvetsov ASh-62 is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of China as the HS-5.
Aviation Valley – is an aviation cluster located in southeastern Poland, with historical links to the country's aerospace industry. Most of the members are located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in the cities of Rzeszów, Mielec, Sędziszów Małopolski, Krosno and in the neighbouring regions. The Head Office is in Rzeszów.
The Menasco Manufacturing Company was an American aircraft engine and component manufacturer.
The Franklin 2 series of American two-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed aircraft engines were produced in the 1930s and 1940s.
The WN-3 was a Polish seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine of the 1950s, produced by WSK-Kalisz, designed by Wiktor Narkiewicz.
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