The two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines arrived at the shop on 01-06-2000. The plan is to use parts from both to restore one engine to display quality. Many years of neglect in the field have made this a very difficult job but Harmon Fischer and his crew are up to the task. This engine when completed, along with the jet turbine from the OH-58 helicopter, will be displayed in the new K-building which will be the new home for the 122nd Restoration Unit. Visitors will be able to tour the building and watch the crews at work.
PRATT & WHITNEY R-2800 DOUBLE WASP
Pratt & Whitney’s R-2800 “Double Wasp” was the United States’ first 18 cylinder engine. With a displacement of 2800 cu. in. (45.9 L), it was much smaller than the world’s only other modern eighteen, the Gnome-Rhone 18L. Nevertheless, it was more powerful, which meant that heat dissipation was more of a problem. Therefore, the cast or forged cooling fins that had served so well in the past would not be sufficient for the R-2800. The cooling fins needed to be had to be so thin and fine pitched that they would have to be machined from the solid metal of the head forging.
When introduced in 1939 the R-2800 developed 2,000 hp. with 1 hp/1.4 cu. in. (43.6/L) of displacement. No other air cooled engine came close to this figure, even the liquid cooled ones barely matched it. The R-2800 developed rather rapidly, going to 2,100 hp. by 1941 and to 2,400 hp. late in the war, but that was for production models. Experimental models were coaxed into giving more power, one fan-cooled subtype produced 2,800 hp. But in general, the R-2800 was a rather fully developed powerplant right from the beginning.
During the war, the R-2800 was used almost exclusively for fighters and medium bombers, being used in the P-47 Thunderbolt, the F6F Hellcat, and the F4U Corsair, and also in the B-26 and A-26 mediums. Post-war, its reliability commended its use for long range patrol planes and for the DC-6, Constellation, Martin 404, and Convair transports.
Date | 1939 |
Cylinders | 18 |
Configuration | Double Row Radial, Air Cooled |
Horsepower | 2,000 hp (1.491 kw) |
R.P.M. | 2,400 |
Bore & Stroke | 5.8 in.(146 mm) x 6 in.(152 mm) |
Displacement | 2,800 cu. in. (45.9 liters) |
Weight | 2,350 lbs. (1,068 kg) |