Pratt & Whitney Wasp series

Last updated
Wasp series
SYAM Pratt & Whitney R-985.jpg
Pratt and Whitney Wasp.jpg
Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior.jpg
R-1830 IWM.JPG
Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Engine 1.jpg
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major 1.jpg
R-985, R-1340, R-1535, R-1830, R-2800 and R-4360
Type Radial engine
National origin United States
Manufacturer Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled, radial piston engines developed in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. [1]

Contents

The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler, who had previously been the president of Wright Aeronautical. He brought with him some of Wright's best designers, and the new team quickly came up with their first design, the R-1340 Wasp. [1] [2] The name "Wasp" was suggested for the first model by Rentschler's wife, Faye. [3] [4]

Wasp series

R-985 Wasp Junior (1930) [5] [6]

R-1340 Wasp (1925) [7] [8]

R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior (1931) [9]

R-1830 Twin Wasp (1931) [10]

R-2000 Twin Wasp [11]

R-2180-E Twin Wasp E [12] [13] [14]

R-2800 Double Wasp (1940) [5] [15]

R-4360 Wasp Major (1942) [12] [16]

Note: the designations refer to the engine configurations as follows: "R" = Radial, followed by the approximate displacement in cubic inches.

See also

Related development

Comparable engines

Related lists

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Gunston 1986, pp. 109–113.
  2. White 1995, pp. 195–198.
  3. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Story 1950, p. 41.
  4. Sullivan 2008, p. 8.
  5. 1 2 Gunston 1986, p. 111.
  6. White 1995, p. 201.
  7. Gunston 1986, p. 110.
  8. White 1995, p. 195.
  9. White 1995, p. 203.
  10. White 1995, pp. 206 & 208.
  11. White 1995, p. 221.
  12. 1 2 Gunston 1986, p. 113.
  13. Stone 1948, p. 22.
  14. Baldry, Chant & Stroud 1980, p. 178.
  15. White 1995, pp. 222 & 229.
  16. White 1995, p. 253.

Bibliography

  • Baldry, Dennis; Chant, Chris; Stroud, John (1980). Gunston, Bill (ed.). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners. London: Phoebus Publishing. ISBN   0-7112-0062-9.
  • Gunston, Bill (1986). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN   0-85059-717-X.
  • Stone, Irving (October 22, 1948). "Latest Piston Powerplant: R-2180". Aviation Week . Vol. 49, no. 21. Albany, New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 21–22.
  • Sullivan, Mark P. (2008). Dependable Engines: The Story of Pratt & Whitney. Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. ISBN   978-1-56347-957-1.
  • The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Story. East Hartford, Connecticut: Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. 1950.
  • White, Graham (1995). Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. ISBN   1-56091-655-9.