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The Lycoming O-1230 was a
The same year the USAAC became interested in the O-1230, and began supporting the engine development program. In 1936, the single-cylinder development tests exceeded expectations, passing its 50-hour test requirement. The full-size engine was ready for testing in 1937, and was rated at 1,000 hp.
The last Vultee A-19 that had been ordered by the USAAC was delivered as the XA-19A, fitted with an O-1230-1 offering 1200 hp. It first flew on May 22, 1940. This aircraft was subsequently re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-51 and redesignated.
Continued development of the O-1230 reached its peak when the engine was rated at over 1200 hp. It was as powerful as the Allison V-1710, but with a narrower cowling than the Allison
flat-twelve engine
A flat-twelve engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-twelve, is a twelve-cylinder piston engine with six cylinders on each side of a central crankshaft.
Flat-twelve engines are less common than V12 engines, but they have been used in vario ...
for aircraft designed and developed by Lycoming Engines in the 1930s. Although the engine was flown in an aircraft, it was not fitted to any aircraft selected for production. It later served as the basis for the Lycoming H-2470
The Lycoming XH-2470 was an H engine for aircraft designed and developed by Lycoming Engines in the 1930s. Although the engine was flown in an aircraft, it was not fitted to any aircraft selected for production. It was derived from the Lycoming O ...
engine.
Design and development
In 1932, the engineers at Lycoming Engines became aware that theUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
(USAAC) wanted a high performance engine that could produce at least one horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
per cubic inch (46 kW/L) of engine displacement and that a contract had been made with Continental Motors, Inc.
Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and own ...
, Lycoming's main rival in the general aviation engine market.White p 379 Lycoming's management wanted to be considered for development of the next generation engine, but no USAAC development contract was signed. Still determined to become known as a high performance engine manufacturer, Lycoming began an experimental, high-performance engine of its own. After spending US$500,000, and after many attempts to develop a successful engine, it finally came close to the USAAC specifications with the 1,200 hp (895 kW) O-1230 engine.
Lycoming's O-1230 engine design was a 12-cylinder liquid-cooled horizontally-opposed low-profile piston engine that could be mounted either horizontally, buried in the wing of a multi-engine aircraft; or vertically, in the fuselage of a single engine fighter. From 1935 the engine design proceeded at a faster pace after a number of former Continental engineers, who had become unhappy with the working conditions there, joined Lycoming.White p 380
The same year the USAAC became interested in the O-1230, and began supporting the engine development program. In 1936, the single-cylinder development tests exceeded expectations, passing its 50-hour test requirement. The full-size engine was ready for testing in 1937, and was rated at 1,000 hp.
The last Vultee A-19 that had been ordered by the USAAC was delivered as the XA-19A, fitted with an O-1230-1 offering 1200 hp. It first flew on May 22, 1940. This aircraft was subsequently re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-51 and redesignated.
Continued development of the O-1230 reached its peak when the engine was rated at over 1200 hp. It was as powerful as the Allison V-1710, but with a narrower cowling than the Allison V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The f ...
. The O-1230 was not well received by aircraft manufacturers, because it was not very reliable at that power setting.
Applications
* Vultee XA-19ASpecifications (O-1230-1)
See also
References
* White, Graham, ''Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II'', SAE International, 1995 * Balzer, Gerald C., ''American Secret Pusher Fighters of World War II'', Specialty Press. 2008 {{US military piston aeroengines O-1230 1930s aircraft piston engines Abandoned military aircraft engine projects of the United States