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The Engine On Display
The display description states:
"Wright Cyclone GR2600 Radial Engine
14 Cylinder Double Row Air Cooled 1193 kw (1600 hp)
Manufactured 1941 in New Jersey USA
The engine was fitted to a Vultee 72 (Vengeance) dive bomber used in WWII by 25 Squadron RAAF "City of Perth" at Pearce, Western Australia. [The squadron was subsequently re-equipped with Liberator heavy bombers.] Other RAAF squadrons initially equipped with the Vultee Vengeance were 12, 21, 23 and 24.
This engine was also operated by RAF communication units 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 including for target towing. Although the aircraft was obsolescent at the outbreak of war in 1939, 342 Vengeances were operated by the RAAF until withdrawn from service in 1944.
The engine was fitted to one of 19 Vultee Vengeance aircraft disposed of at Boulder WA in 1947 for $ 10 each, that is for their scrap metal value. The engine was later acquired by the Sport Aircraft Association for $ 40 and subsequently donated to the Department of Aviation Historical Society for restoration. It was donated to the museum in August 1995."
Type History
The R-2600 was often known as the "Twin Cyclone" because it used a double row of the cylinders of its predecessor, the Cyclone. It was mainly used in military bomber and attack aircraft during World War II.Specifications
| Cubic capacity: | 2603 cu.in (42.7 L) |
| Maximum power: | 1,750 HP (1,305 kW) |
| Weight: | 2,045 lb (930 kg) |