The Continental A40 engine is a

carbureted A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine that was developed especially for use in

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

by Continental Motors. It was produced between 1931 and 1941.

Design and development

The A40 was introduced in the depths of the Great Depression. At the time there were a number of small engines available but all suffered from either high cost, complexity, or low reliability. The A-40 addressed all those shortcomings and was instrumental in the production of light aircraft in the difficult economic constraints of the period. The A-40-4 introduced an increase in power to . The engine later inspired the A-50 and subsequent engines.Christy, Joe: ''Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights'', pages 8-9. TAB Books, 1983. The A40 featured single ignition until the A-40-5 version, which introduced dual ignition. All engines in this family have a 5.2:1 compression ratio and were designed to run on fuel with a minimum octane rating of 73. The entire family of engines had its certification terminated on 1 November 1941. Engines produced before that date are still certified, but none can be produced after that date.

Variants

;A40 :Single ignition, at 2550 rpm, dry weight ;A40-2 :Single ignition, at 2550 rpm, dry weight ;A-40-3 :Single ignition, at 2550 rpm, dry weight Featured cadmium-nickel connecting rod bearings. ;A40-4 :Single ignition, at 2575 rpm, dry weight , Steel backed connecting rod inserts ;A40-5 :Dual ignition, at 2575 rpm, dry weight

Applications

* Aeronca KC *

Arup S-2 The Arup S-2 was the first commercial development of Cloyd Snyder's Arup S-1 low aspect ratio wing aircraft. Design The Arup S-2 featured a straight leading edge wing with a trailing edge that tapered to the rear of the aircraft giving it a g ...

* Heath Parasol LNA-40 * Nicholson Junior KN-2 *

Piper J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

* Porterfield CP-40 Zephyr *

Rose Parakeet The Rose Parrakeet was a single-seat sporting biplane produced in small numbers in the United States during the 1930s. It was a conventional design with staggered single-bay wings of equal span braced by N-struts. The cockpit was open, and the fi ...

* Taylor E-2 Cub * Piper J-2 Cub *

Taylorcraft Taylorcraft Aviation is an airplane manufacturer that has been producing aircraft for more than 70 years in several locations. The company builds small single-engined airplanes. The Taylorcraft design is a conventional layout: high-wing, fab ...

A *

Welch OW-5M __NOTOC__ The Welch OW-5M (along with the OW-6M, OW-7M and OW-8M) were a family of American two-seat light cabin monoplanes designed by Orin Welch based on his first cabin monoplane design, the ACA Falcon. Welch's goal was to design cheap and fun ...

Engines on display

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Rhinebeck, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antiqu ...

Specifications (A40-5)

References

External links

E-2 "Cub" Powerplant Instl - Holcomb's Aerodrome
The A-40, as installed in the Taylor E-2 Cub. {{Continental aeroengines Boxer engines 1930s aircraft piston engines A-40