Curtiss L

Model "L"
Curtiss Model "L" aircraft engine
TypeV-8 piston engine
National originUnited States
ManufacturerCurtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
First run1910
Major applicationsCurtiss Model D
Curtiss Model E
Developed intoCurtiss O

The Curtiss L is the first in a series of 503 cu in (8.2 L) water-cooled V8 engines, produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.[1][a]

Early Curtiss engines were air-cooled, but in pursuit of greater power, Curtiss began developing liquid-cooled designs. Historical records indicate a Model L engine was fitted to a Curtiss built monoplane which was displayed, but not flown, at the 1910 Gordon Bennett race at Belmont Park, New York. It is also likely that a Model L engine powered the aircraft that crashed in Macon, Georgia, in 1912, resulting in the death of the aviator Eugene Burton Ely.[3]

Continued development of Curtiss's 503 cu in (8.2 L) V8 series eventual lead to the commercially successful Curtiss OX-5 engines which were built in large numbers during World War I.[1]

Applications

Source:[3]

Specifications

Data from the Smithsonian[3]

General characteristics

  • Type: 8-cylinder water-cooled Vee piston engine
  • Bore: 4 in (102 mm)
  • Stroke: 5 in (127 mm)
  • Displacement: 503 cu in (8.2 L)
  • Length: 43 in (1,092 mm)
  • Width: 31.75 in (806 mm)
  • Height: 35.5 in (902 mm)
  • Dry weight: 285 lb (129 kg)

Components

  • Valvetrain: One intake and one exhaust valve per cylinder, pushrod-actuated
  • Cooling system: Water-cooled

Performance

  • Power output: 65 hp (48 kW) at 1,150 rpm

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Early Curtiss aero engines were referred to by their nominal horsepower. The "L" designation does not appear in contemporary publications but is used by later authors when classifying the engine.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Angle, Glenn D. (1921). Airplane Engine Encyclopedia. Dayton, Ohio: THE OTTERBEIN PRESS. pp. 142–143.
  2. ^ "Achievements of Curtiss aeroplanes are arguments that convince (advert)". Aeronautics. 9 (2). August 1911.
  3. ^ a b c "Curtiss Modified Model L, V-8 Engine". National Air and Space Museum - Smithsonian.