DePalma, V-4 Engine

C.H. Willis, Henry Ford’s Chief Engineer, who also led the DePalma Manufacturing Company, worked with famous inventor and General Motors executive Charles F. Kettering to develop this engine under an Army contract for the Kettering Bug, a flying bomb. This predecessor for later cruise missiles used a two-cycle engine because of its high power-to-weight ratio, simplicity of construction, and low cost. With twice the explosions, a two-cycle engine can produce higher power than a four-cycle engine, but does not throttle well, which was not important for this application.

The Bug was to cost about $575 in large quantities, and have a range of fifty miles. Development of the aircraft was begun in 1918; but did not go into production because of largely unsuccessful flight tests in 1918 and 1919. The engine also powered Dayton-Wright aircraft such as the T-4 Messenger, another prototype aircraft that lost favor following World War I.

• Type: Reciprocating, 4 cylinders, V-type, air cooled
• Power rating: 28-37 kW (38-50 hp)
• Displacement: Unknown
• Bore and Stroke: Unknown
• Weight: Unknown

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Released by the Smithsonian Institution under CC0 through Smithsonian Open Access.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.