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| NOTE: Sounds available from this page will require an mp3 player for listening. These are large files that take time to load. Please be patient |
Nord Aviation N 2501 Noratlas
A former military cargo used by the French Air Force until 1987, this is the only one of 450 still flying. Its Bristol Hercules 759 engines produce 2,048 hp @ 2,800 rpm at during takeoff.
Christian Estieoulle, who has for the past 11 years been involved in the restoration and maintenance of this rare aircraft, has recorded the sounds of its engines.
The sound file consist of four clips: Left engine start, right engine start, takeoff power at 2,800 rpm followed by power reduction to 2,400 rpm, and shutdown. Note the absence of valve gear clatter typically associated with radial engines; all one hears is the bark of the exhaust. These are the last two Hercules 759s flying in the world.
Startup, take-off and shutdown of Bristol Hercules 759
Click HERE to listen (660K mp3)
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| Nord N 2501 Noratlas The only one of 450 still flying. |
Nord N 2501 Noratlas | Bristol Hercules 759 Propeller reduction and sleeve drive gears. |
Bristol Hercules 759 Details of Sleeve Cranks and Supercharger |
Bristol Hercules 759 |
Air Zoo Sounds
Bill Painter, Accessions Director and Research Coordinator of the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum (Air Zoo), has kindly donated these sounds of engines in aircraft that are part of the Air Zoo collection.
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Startup of a Curtiss-Wright R-3350 in the Douglas AD-4N Skyraider. Click HERE to listen (407K mp3) |
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Startup of a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 in the Grumman F-8F-1D Bearcat Click HERE to listen (413K mp3) |
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Sounds of an Allison V-1710 in the P-39Q Airacobra. Click HERE to listen (957K mp3) The engine is located behind the pilot to accommodate a 37 mm cannon that fires through the hollow propeller shaft. Power from the engine is transmitted to a front-mounted propeller reduction gear box. Please notice the distinctive howl of this gearbox. |
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Startup, Run-up, and Shutdown of an Allison V-1710 in the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk Click HERE to listen (3.4M mp3) Museum Director Bob Ellis guides us through a run-up of the Air Zoo's P-40. |
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Startup of a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 in the P-47D Thunderbolt Click HERE to listen (806K mp3) Of particular interest are sounds peculiar to the P-47 exhaust system --- sharp cracks from the turbo waste gate coupled with a deeper, more mellow tone from the long pipe leading to the rear-mounted turbosupercharger. |
All photographs in this section are courtesy of the Air Zoo.
Hawker Tempest Page --- Follow the Multimedia => Sounds link for sounds of a Napier Sabre.
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Gnome Omega Sounds --- From the Minnesota Air & Space Museum |
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