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This is What my Friend Rob Does for a Living

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DrEntropy said:
I get that, Paul. Familiar with dual-plug ignition in most modern light aircraft, and the left/right nomenclature as determined from the pilots' (or with cars, drivers') position. But it still doesn't figure how dividing the rotary 18 cylinder engine into firing on half its cylinders either right or left sided, as opposed to firing on nine front or rear in case of an ignition failure.

I gotta be missing something... P'raps both dizzys are firing all 18 cylinders, with dual plugs?
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OK, did some more research in the manual. Two plugs in each cylinder. The right distributor fires the front plug in all 18 cylinders, the left distributor fires the rear plug in all 18 cylinders. There is also a dash control that allows the pilot to select between the left distributor, the right distributor or both (don't know the reason for this)

Scan0026.jpg
Scan0027.jpg
 
It's a backup system Rick. If the one mag drops off the engine will keep running on the other mag, not as efficiently, but running to stay airborne! Double row radial engines are a little complicated to wire up, especially if it has been previously stripped of it's wiring.

Wiring this 5,000 hp Lycoming radial would be a little tricky! :encouragement:
5,000 hp Lycoming Radial.jpg
 
PAUL161 said:
It's a backup system Rick. If the one mag drops off the engine will keep running on the other mag, not as efficiently, but running to stay airborne! Double row radial engines are a little complicated to wire up, especially if it has been previously stripped of it's wiring.
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Would normal operation be the dashboard switch would go to "Both" and in the event one mag dropped out, the pilot would switch over to the right or left distributor?
 
Yes, both mags are on all the time in flight, during run up before take off their switched between R & L to check for RPM drop and switched back to both before takeoff, there is an allowable drop in RPMs for each mag, multi engine aircraft will have one duel mag switch for each engine.

HealeyRick said:
Would normal operation be the dashboard switch would go to "Both" and in the event one mag dropped out, the pilot would switch over to the right or left distributor?
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HealeyRick said:
OK, did some more research in the manual. Two plugs in each cylinder. The right distributor fires the front plug in all 18 cylinders, the left distributor fires the rear plug in all 18 cylinders. There is also a dash control that allows the pilot to select between the left distributor, the right distributor or both (don't know the reason for this)
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That clears it up for me! Thanks, sir. :thumbsup:
 
charlie74 said:
I dunno how many cylinders the “https://www.google.com/search?q=cor...8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=fWjeEgVfrRUKMM” had but for me at least, my mind is boggled...
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My Dad's job at Pratt & Whitney was "engine tester". My birth story is that while Mom was in the hospital giving birth to me, Dad got locked into the engine room when they fired up the motor. He had to use his flashlight to signal the guys outside to let him out. Can't imagine what the sound of one of those engines being run up to maximum revs would be like. Probably explained while my Dad was deaf as a haddock in his later years.
 
HealeyRick said:
My Dad's job at Pratt & Whitney was "engine tester". My birth story is that while Mom was in the hospital giving birth to me, Dad got locked into the engine room when they fired up the motor. He had to use his flashlight to signal the guys outside to let him out. Can't imagine what the sound of one of those engines being run up to maximum revs would be like. Probably explained while my Dad was deaf as a haddock in his later years.
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Especially in an enclosure! I did a TDY job to Randplph AFB in Texas where the subject was a "Noise Suppression Unit." A rig to reduce the sound coming from an F-4 at full throttle as it was being pre-flight tested. A cooling tower something like fifty feet tall, tail of the bird enclosed at the bottom, water sprayed into the tower as the engines were run up to max RPM. It was absolutely deafening from fifty yards away in spite of the rig and shot a plume of vapor and water another hundred or so feet into the air. Can't imagine being inside a container of ANY dimension as one of those radials was spun up. wow.
 
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