In the Fall 2003 Issue of
Menasco Aircraft Engines and Their Air Racing Heritage, Part 1
Albert (Al) S. Menasco, California native and distinguished aircraft engine
designer active in the 1920s and 1930s, produced a series of inverted, inline,
four- and six-cylinder, air-cooled engines that achieved great success in many
US air races before World War (WW) II. This article explores the technical
development of Menasco’s relatively light aircraft engines and their air racing
success in the hands of “golden age” pilots.
The Aeroproducts Propeller
If you’ve ever admired the powerful, snub-nosed propeller assembly on an F8F
Bearcat or A-1 Skyraider, you are looking at one of the cleverest mechanical
devices ever. In the P-39 Airacobra, and the P-63 Kingcobra, the unique
propeller design provides an open bore through the prop hub that allows the 37
mm cannon to be fired through the center of the hub.
Reno 2003
It finally happened—an official 500 mph lap at Reno. If this year’s
rules had been in place last year then Skip Holm would have easily exceeded 500
mph in 2002. In fact his calculated speed would have been 510 mph!
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