Bombadil wrote:


The Wankel isn't the same type of rotary engine used in WWI. The WWI rotary had a crankshaft attached to the firewall and the ENTIRE ENGINE rotated around the crankshaft. This made for an engine that was lighter than the inlines as it didn't need a fuel or oil pump or radiator, the rotation of the engine literally flinging those liquids out to where they were needed. It also didn't have a throttle. It was either on or off. Rotaries had what were called a "blip switch" on the stick that cut the spark. That resulted in the engine windmilling and not providing power. You couldn't "blip" for very long or the plugs would foul with unburned oil and gas and you couldn't get a restart. It also created a torquing effect that gave rotary engined a/c a decided twist towards the right. The Camel was the best example of this torque. A fellow who flys the one at Old Rhinebeck which has an original rotary, found that everything is done with full left rudder.

Imagine what happens with a couple of hundred pounds of metal spinning away when it loses a cylinder head. That's why rotaries have fewer hit boxes than inlines.