Curtiss Modified Model L, V-8 Engine

Object Details

Physical Description: Type: Reciprocating, V-type, 8 cylinders, water-cooled; Power rating: 48.5 kW (65 hp) at 1,150 rpm; Displacement: 8.2 L (502.64 cu in); Bore and Stroke: 102 mm (4 in.) x 127 mm (5 in.); Weight: 129 kg (285 lb)
Summary: Curtiss was one of the most successful early American aircraft engine manufacturers. The first Curtiss engines were air cooled but, to achieve higher power, Curtiss began to develop liquid-cooled engines. Historical evidence suggests that this Model L artifact was one of two higher-performance engines built by Curtiss for his experimental monoplane that was shown, but not flown, at the 1910 Gordon Bennett Race held at Belmont Park, N.Y. Both engines were later assigned to Eugene Ely, a pilot for Curtiss, who used them in exhibition and demonstration flights. It is likely that one of those engines powered the aircraft which crashed in 1912 at Macon, Georgia, killing Ely.; Continued evolution of the Curtiss V-8 engine led to the OX-5, of which more than 10,000 were produced by the end of World War I in 1918. The U.S. government sold thousands of these to the public as surplus at a fraction of their original cost.

Credit Line: Transferred from the Department of the Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics

Circa 1910

Materials: Steel, Preservative coating, Paint, Aluminum, Brass
Dimensions: Depth 90.2 cm (35.5 in.), Length 109.2 cm (43 in.), Width 80.6 cm (31.75 in.)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9d750a9dd-c8f8-4561-910e-11c6cec122a2