LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation

Last updated
LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation
Industry Aerospace
Founded1928
FounderRichard K. LeBlond
Defunct1937
FateAcquired
Successor Ken-Royce Engine Company
Products Aeroengines
Parent R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company

LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation was a small engine manufacturer incorporated on April 11, 1928. It was located on the northwest corner of Madison and Edwards Roads in Norwood, Ohio [1] It was a subsidiary of the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, a manufacturer of metal machining lathes. [2]

Contents

History

In 1928 Richard K. LeBlond purchased Detroit Aircraft Engineering Corporation, then a subsidiary of Detroit's automaker Rickenbacker owned by World War I pilot and ace Eddie Rickenbacker [3] and the engineer, Glenn D. Angle. [4] and their 5-cylinder Air-Cat engine. LeBlond employed the company's designer and previous co-owner, Glenn D. Angle, to improve the design for further production and development. [2] The LeBlond line was refined and improved through late 1937.

In December 1937, to offset a large tax liability incurred by the LeBlond Tool company, the subsidiary, LeBlond Engines, was sold at a significant loss to Raymond A. Rearwin of Rearwin Airplanes. The purchase was a perfect fit for Rearwin as his company was one of the largest users of LeBlond engines, and gave Rearwin a well-accepted radial engine to use on his designs. [5] Rearwin renamed the company Ken-Royce Engine Company after his two sons Ken and Royce Rearwin. [6] After Rearwin moved the assets from Norwood to Kansas City, quality-control issues were experienced, which seemed to improve after several employees who had made a competing offer for LeBlond's assets were fired. Production of the line continued until World War Two. [7]

Production of the LeBlond designs never resumed, as the design was uneconomical compared to the newer "flat" (horizontally opposed) engines of the post-war era. LeBlond/Ken-Royce engine parts were provided during the 1950s by Air Associates. In the 1960s the remaining parts were sold to the Antique Airplane Association of Blakesburg, Iowa. [2]

Products

Parts were interchangeable between the 5 and 7-cylinder models of the LeBlond and later Ken-Royce engines, including the cylinder assemblies, gear case and oil pump. As the engine was modular in design, the gear case could be removed intact. The oil pump, being a single unit, could be removed for overhaul or replacement. [2]

The Stromberg NAR-3 carburetor contained a built-in "primer" which acted like a choke by leaking gasoline into the intake stream when activated, in order to prime the engine. [2]

The valve springs used on LeBlond and Ken-Royce engines were of the volute spring type which is wound in a beehive shape out of strip steel, unlike most engines, which have nested coil springs wound from round wire. This type of spring was inherited from the original Detroit Air-Cat as at the time of the Air-Cat design in the late twenties, round wire springs had resonance and fatigue problems. The volute design eliminated the resonance and lasted longer. [2]

3 Cylinder Engines

5 Cylinder Engines

7 Cylinder Engines

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References

  1. ↑ "Companies in Norwood, Ohio - "L"." RootsWeb.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2010. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohnhs2/BusinessL.html>.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rearwin Aircraft Engines." PilotFriend. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2010. <http://www.pilotfriend.com/aero_engines/engine_specs/Ken_Royce%20Motors/blank.htm>.
  3. ↑ "Cincinnati Aviation Heritage Soc." CAHS Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2010. <http://cahslunken.org/lukhistory/lukhistory.htm>.
  4. ↑ "LeBlond / Ken-Royce Engines." PilotFriend. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2010. <http://www.pilotfriend.com/aero_engines/engine_specs/LeBlond%20Engines.htm>.
  5. ↑ Goyer, Norm. "Rearwin Aircraft and Ken- Royce Engines." Aircraft Market Place. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2010. <http://acmp.com/blog/rearwin-aircraft-and-ken-royce-engines.html>.
  6. ↑ Robertson, Doug. "N17029, 1936 Porterfield 35-70 FLYABOUT 'Spinach', Rev. 1." Airport-Data.com. N.p., 23 October 2006. Web. 20 June 2010. <http://www.airport-data.com/articles/view/N17029-1936-Porterfield-35-70-FLYABOUT-Spinach-Rev-1;32.html>.
  7. ↑ Wright, Bill (1997). Rearwin: A Story of Men, Planes, and Aircraft Manufacturing During the Great Depression . Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press. ISBN   0-89745-207-0.
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