The Menasco Pirate series are four-cylinder, air-cooled, in-line, inverted aero-engines, built by the
Menasco Motors Company
The Menasco Manufacturing Company was an American aircraft engine and component manufacturer.
History
The company was organized by Albert S. Menasco in 1926 to convert World War I surplus Salmson Z-9 water-cooled nine-cylinder radials into ai ...
of
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, for use in light general and sport aircraft during the 1930s and 1940s.
The Menasco engines came in both normally aspirated and supercharged forms, with the supercharged models exhibiting superior performance at higher altitudes, with a relatively small increase in dimensions and weight. The supercharged models had the ''S'' suffix added to their designation to show supercharging.
[Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 122–24, Cypress, CA, 2013.]
Variants
;Menasco A-4 Pirate (also listed as Menasco 4A)
:90 hp.
;Menasco B-4 Pirate
:95 hp.
;Menasco C-4 Pirate (Military designation L-365)
:125 hp.
Compression ratio 5.8: 1, dry weight 300 lb
;Menasco Pirate C-4S
:Super-charged 150 hp.
;Menasco D-4 Pirate
:125 hp, compression ratio 5.5:1, dry weight 311 lb
;Menasco D-4-87 Super Pirate
:134 hp, Compression ratio 6:1, dry weight 310 lb
;Menasco L-365-1: military designation for the C4-4LA
;Menasco L-365-3: similar to -1 but changes to cylinder heads, lubrication and carburettor
Applications
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Argonaut Pirate
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Aeroneer 1-B
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Great Lakes 2T-1MS
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de Havilland Canada DH.82C ''Menasco Moth'' (Canada, 136 built)
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Fairchild 22 C7B
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Gee Bee Sportster Model D
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Jones S-125
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Ryan ST
The Ryan STs are a series of two seat, low-wing monoplane aircraft built in the United States by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. They were used as sport aircraft, as well as trainers by flying schools and the militaries of several countries. ...
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Stearman-Hammond Y-1
The Stearman-Hammond Y-1 is a 1930s United States, American utility monoplane built by the Stearman-Hammond Aircraft Corporation and evaluated by the United States Navy and the United Kingdom, British Royal Air Force.
Development
In the early 1 ...
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VEF I-17
VEF I-17 was a Latvian trainer aircraft (intended also as a fighter) designed in 1939 by Latvian aircraft designer Kārlis Irbītis. The I-17 was test flown in early 1940 and almost immediately accepted by Latvian Air Force. It was produced by ...
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Willoughby Delta 8
Specifications (Menasco C4S Pirate)
See also
References
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External links
TC67.pdf
{{Menasco aeroengines
Air-cooled aircraft piston engines
1930s aircraft piston engines
Inverted aircraft piston engines
Pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...