Development of the air-cooled aero-engine, recognized in Aviation Week & Space Technology’s 100th anniversary issue as one of the key technologies of the first century of powered flight, was pivotal to the successful proliferation of commercial and military aviation. Ranking foremost among these was Pratt & Whitney’s first engine, the nine-cylinder Wasp radial. This pioneering powerplant worked better than anyone dared hope, and Aviation Week was there to chart the engine’s course through aviation history.
Development of the air-cooled aero-engine, recognized in Aviation Week & Space Technology’s 100th anniversary issue as one of the key technologies of the first century of powered flight, was pivotal to the successful proliferation of commercial and military aviation. Ranking foremost among these was Pratt & Whitney’s first engine, the nine-cylinder Wasp radial. This pioneering powerplant worked better than anyone dared hope, and Aviation Week was there to chart the engine’s course through aviation history.