Uploaded November 2007 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The rotating radial engine was the first step towards an effective power plant, that made aerial warfare possible during WW I. In 1916 it produced from 80 to 130 HP which allowed the flyer to bring some weapons aloft with him . As the engine had no carburettor the speed could only be varied by turning the ignition system off and on, and its big gyroscopic effect seriously influenced the planes flying characteristic.
Aviation was almost a pure european discipline, and the leading nations were France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Holland.
Carl Vendler
The rotating radial engine was the first step towards an effective power plant, that made aerial warfare possible during WW I. In 1916 it produced from 80 to 130 HP which allowed the flyer to bring some weapons aloft with him . As the engine had no carburettor the speed could only be varied by turning the ignition system off and on, and its big gyroscopic effect seriously influenced the planes flying characteristic.
Aviation was almost a pure european discipline, and the leading nations were France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Holland.
Carl Vendler
