The Sunbeam Pathan, also known as the Sunbeam P.1, was a 1920s
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
diesel
aero engine
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...
.
Design and development
Louis Coatalen, Sunbeam engine designer, started work on a diesel powered aero-engine, that would be suitable for use in airships, in 1928.
Using his experience with both aero-engines and auto-mobile diesel engines, the result, given the company designation P.1, was based on the
Dyak.
Given the name Pathan, a prototype engine was displayed at the 1929 Olympia Aero Show, but attracted no orders.
Using the same bore and stroke of the Dyak (120mm x 130mm - 4.72in x 5.12in ), the Pathan was a water-cooled six-cylinder in-line diesel engine with a cubic capacity of 8.8l (537cu in). Rated to give 100 hp (74.6 kW) @ 1,500rpm the engine was fitted with a new type of fuel injection system allowing cold starts without other assistance.
The engine did not enter production as the British Airship Programme was cancelled, and with no need for the engine only prototypes were built.
Coatalen continued the development of Diesel engines after he left Sunbeam and returned to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, developing the
Coatalen V-12 Diesel engine with limited success, due to the
German invasion of 1940 halting further work.
Specifications
See also
References
{{Sunbeam aeroengines
Pathan
Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...
1920s aircraft piston engines