Books about aircraft engines are not confined strictly to collectors' dusty shelves. New ones are being published all the time. Many of these books, both old and new are reviewed in this section.

Please note that the opinions expressed herein are those of the reviewers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Aircraft Engine Historical Society. If you have a different impression of a book, send us a review!

Dependable Engines: The Story of Pratt & Whitney by Mark P. Sullivan Hardback 260mm x 260mm x 20mm, 164 pages IISBN-13: 978-1-56347-957-1 AIAA (2008) Recommended Retail Price: $29.95 Photos, some color

Reviewed by Doug Culy

Mark Sullivan’s book on P&WA has many pictures not seen before in books on this great engine manufacturer. It focuses on the last 50 years of the company’s 85-plus-year history, and brings the reader right up to 2008. The first four chapters deal with the piston engine era, with the next eleven chapters covering jets, rockets, etc. No specific information on piston engine development, but, some new insights on the big commercial fan engine programs of the current era. Included is a timeline from August 1925 to February 2008 that has many useful dates.

The author was Director of Media Relations for P&WA in recent years, and compiled this book largely from the archives of the company, which include the company’s monthly newspaper/newsletter, press releases, and some magazine articles. The author cites about a dozen independent books on P&W people and engines. Canadian P&W is sufficiently covered, but the reader is referred to CP&W’s own history for all details, which is offered by a Canadian publisher. The rocket engines are covered just enough to make the reader hungry for more detail, but that is better than not at all.

This is not a technically-oriented book, such as The Engines of Pratt & Whitney (also recently published) and is smaller, having only 164 pages. Sullivan’s time at P&WA began in 1980 and ended in 2007 or 08, while Jack Connors’, the author of The Engines of Pratt & Whitney joined the company in 1948 and retired around 1990.

However, this reviewer found much new information, one surprising revelation, and several hoped-for revelations, making Dependable Engines a valuable complement to all previous books on the company. Its printing and binding are well done.

Douglas Light Aero Engines: From Kingswood to Cathcart by Brian Thorby Paperback 170mm x 240mm x 20mm, 232 pages ISBN: 978-1-90659-325-4 Redcliffe Press Ltd (2010) Recommended Retail Price: £16.95 Photos, drawings, charts, and diagrams

Reviewed by Bill Allan

Written by one of our members, this book tells the story of the development of light aero engines, by the motorcycle company, Douglas, in the Bristol area, and further developments at Weir Pumps in Glasgow.

Introduction — a three page brief history of the Douglas Company, introduction to the motorcyclist and engineer, C. G. Pullin, who was the major figure in the development of these engines, and the move to Glasgow, where the development of the helicopter took place. An interesting point made (which struck me) is that an explanation is given to horsepower rating, then, and subsequently.

Forward — a one page statement from the great grandson of the founder of the Douglas Company.

Chapter 1: Wings For Twins — ten pages, describing the Under-Secretary for Air’s 1923 incentive for the development of ultra-light aircraft, in the UK, known as the Lympne (Kent) Light Aircraft Competition. One page has a list of entrants and with one page of photographs, and each aircraft and engine used is described. Subsequent to this was the 1924 Rhon Glider & Light Aircraft Competition, and, again, one page lists the entrants, with a page of photographs.

Chapter 2: Flying Flywheels — Fourteen pages, including graphs, photographs, descriptions, installation drawings, (one page only) of the use of Douglas motorcycle engines in aviation to 1932. The specification pages give the facts and figures, including materials used. Finally, there is a one page chronology of the Douglas aero engine developments.

Chapter 3: Dark Clouds Over Bristol – Short four page chapter. Describes the takeover of Douglas, the start of work on an autogiro, and the move North to Glasgow. Also, the start of specifically designed aero engines.

Chapter 4: Designed To Fly — Sixteen pages, including seven pages of photographs, three pages of drawings, and three pages of specification, of the design of these new purpose built aero engines, to photographs being of aircraft fitted with these engines. One fault — the aircraft in the lower picture on page 56 is a Helmy Aerogypt, described later on in the book.

Chapter 5: Refinement By Proxy — Nineteen pages delving in a more technical manner into the Weir engines, with three and a half pages of photographs, three pages of engine specifications, and nine pages of technical drawings plus sections of the engines and their features, including a patent drawing for an oil cooler.

Chapter 6: Dreams Of Power — What Might Have Been. My favourite part of the book. Twenty-three pages, much as the previous chapter, with one and a half pages of photographs, a cutaway drawing of the Monarch engine,  nine pages of technical illustrations, and six pages of specifications of engines planned for the future. Also describes what the company intended to do if they continued.

Chapter 7: Competition — describes, usually, on one page, the other engines that the Douglas/Weir engines were up against, mostly a half page photograph and half page specification, and some of the aircraft fitted with them. There are seventeen photographs in this chapter.

Chapter 8: The Airframes — Sixty-eight pages, forty eight photographs, brief specifications of forty-nine/fifty aircraft fitted with Douglas engines, and twenty-four pages of one-page three-views of some of the aircraft fitted with Douglas engines.

Chapter 9: Auxiliary Power Units — this section would have made an excellent article in Torque Meter (perhaps we could ask our colleague for permission to download this part to the members section of the website). Ten pages, describing generator sets, APUs, and aircraft pressurisation tests, using Douglas engines. The design of the four-cylinder starting engine for the R-R Eagle engine, if expanded, would also make an excellent article. Seven photographs, one small cutaway drawing, and two pages of sectioned drawings of this starter engine, in total.

Chapter 10: Survivors — Extant Engines and Airframes. Nine pages, containing thirteen photographs.

Appendices — three appendices, listing light aero engines produced by Douglas & Weir, data of aircraft fitted with these engines, and a glossary of terms throughout the book including some specifications of the materials used in the construction of the engines.

A one page bibliography, two pages of acknowledgements, and a seven page index complete the book.

Note: all photographs are printed on the pages, not glossy copies.

All in all, an excellent record, of this fascinating, aeronautical achievement. I intend donating a copy to Glasgow University library.

The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History by Jack Connors Hardcover, 6.3 x 9.2, 548 pages ISBN: 978-1-60086-711-8 AIAA (2010) Recommended Retail Price: US $49.95 Photos, drawings, charts, and diagrams

Reviewed by Doug Culy

Jack Connors’ book is by far the most interesting book yet written for aircraft engine development engineers interested in the history of the business as well as that of the engines. This so because Jack Connors IS one, as is this reviewer. It should also be quite entertaining for any other lover of engines. Connors provides anecdotes, timelines, component data, problems and solutions, people insights, a few program costs, and many, many charts and tables to satisfy the technically curious. The bottom line is that The Engines of Pratt & Whitney is worth far more than its price.

 The book has 511 pages, not including the index, of which 159 cover the piston engines, with 352 pages covering almost all of the turbine engine programs (rockets too). Connors arrived at P&WA in 1948, retiring in 1983, and worked on the jet engine programs at the lowest and very high technical and managerial levels, so he has many perspectives of what and why things happened.

 His discussion of the PT-1 provides an order of magnitude more pictures and information on this free-piston compressor-driven turbine than has been seen before. He provides a little more data on the PT5/T57 to give us some more understanding of the engine that should be on the A400M. Connors greatly illuminates the mysterious 304 hydrogen turbojet, and gives terrific coverage to the big well-known programs. For these, there are also many little-known tidbits provided.

 The coverage of the piston engine programs is not nearly as satisfying, mostly because there are few, if any survivors to give insights, and Connors worked mostly if not entirely on turbines. The R-4360 is described, as is the little-known R-2180E, but nothing of value is provided in the three paragraphs on the R-2800. Don’t let this deter you from reading the book, as the widely revered The Development of Aircraft Engines by Schlaifer has huge gaps that don’t hurt its value as a reference.

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