The Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major is a British five-cylinder (later seven-cylinder),

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

for aircraft, designed and built by Armstrong Siddeley and first run in 1928. It developed 140 horsepower (104 kW). In

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

use the seven-cylinder version was known as the Civet I. The Feliform names used are in line with company convention, the Genet and

Civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

both being large cat-like carnivores.

Variants and applications

Genet Major I

The Genet Major 1 was a five-cylinder engine of that was closely related to the Genet I but with increased

bore Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive ** Bore (wind instruments), ...

and stroke. *

Avro Avian The Avro Avian was a series of British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and its descenda ...

* Avro 619 * Avro 624 *

Avro 638 Club Cadet The Avro Club Cadet was a 1930s single-engined British biplane trainer aircraft, designed and built by Avro as a development of the earlier Cadet. It was planned for private and club use and, unlike the Cadet, was fitted with folding wings. ...

* Cierva C.19 Autogiro *

Civilian Coupé The Civilian Coupé is a British, single-engined two-seat private monoplane built starting in 1929. Only five were made, and it was the Civilian Aircraft Company's only product, but one still flies in the UK. Design and development In 1928 Ha ...

* Saro Cutty Sark * Southern Martlet *

Westland IV The Westland IV and Westland Wessex were British high wing, three-engined light transport aircraft built by Westland Aircraft. Design and development In 1928, Westland began work on a small three-engined airliner, suitable for low volume, "fe ...

Genet Major 1A (Civet I)

The Genet Major 1A (or Civet I in RAF service) was a seven-cylinder development of the Genet Major I, nominally rated at . *

* Avro Cadet * Avro Rota *

Cierva C.30A Autogiro The Cierva C.30 is an autogyro designed by Juan de la Cierva and built under licence from the Cierva Autogiro Company by A V Roe & Co Ltd (Avro), Lioré-et-Olivier and Focke-Wulf. Design and development Before the experimental Cierva C.19 Mk ...

* RWD-6 (not specified 7-cylinder Genet Major sub-type) * Saro Cutty Sark * SEA-1 *

Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main chang ...

Genet Major III

As Genet Major IA but with cylinders using cast rocker boxes.

Genet Major IV

A geared propeller drive version of the Genet Major IA, . * ANBO V

Survivors

An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major powers Southern Martlet (G-AAYX) which is owned and operated by the

Shuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of o ...

at Old Warden and flies at home air displays throughout the summer months. An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major 1A engine also powers the only surviving Civilian Aircraft Co.Ltd. 1931 vintage Civilian Coupe 02 monoplane (G-ABNT), which is airworthy and owned and operated by Shipping and Airlines Ltd based at Biggin Hill Airport, England.

Engines on display

* An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA is on display at the

Royal Air Force Museum Cosford The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford, Shropshire, Cosford in Shropshire, is a free (currently, 2022) museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Mu ...

. * An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IV can be seen in Polish Aviation Museum in Cracow. *

Aviation Heritage Museum (Western Australia) The Aviation Heritage Museum is a museum created and maintained by the RAAF Association of Western Australia. It houses many military and civilian aircraft, aircraft replicas and aircraft engines, of types that have served in the Royal Australia ...

Aviation Heritage Museum
/ref>

Specifications (Genet Major IA/Civet I)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. . {{Armstrong Siddeley aeroengines Genet Major 1920s aircraft piston engines Aircraft air-cooled radial piston engines