Talk:Inline engine (aeronautics)

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Verifiability[edit]

Is a V engine really known as an inline engine in aviation? A source would be nice. Andrewa (talk) 03:37, 27 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Belated reply to above: the McGraw-Hill published An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation (Kumar, ed, 2004) has Inline: "An arrangement in a reciprocating engine in which all the cylinders are placed in a single line." So no, not by this team (1 Indian, 2 US). Can't find inline (engine) in the OED at all. There have been earlier discussions of the definition (see Talk:Straight engine) and I have a hazy memory of a suggestion (somewhere else in WPAVIATION) that Americans said straight where British used inline, though this is not born out by Kumar's book. I also recall a piece in the Introduction of Gunston's history of engine book (The Development of Piston Aero Engines?) which agrees with Kumar's definition. I'll check in our local library to see exactly what he said.TSRL (talk) 11:10, 12 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]

There were earlier replies in the article itself:

Direct reference of a V engine described as "inline": Bowman, Martin (Aug 19, 2008). "Design and Development". P-47 Thunderbolt Vs. Bf 109G/K: Europe 1943-45. Duel Series. Vol. 11. Illustrated by: Jim Laurier, Chris Davey. Osprey Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-84603-315-5. Kartveli, meanwhile, had a new fighter project on the drawing board called the AP-10, which was a relatively lightweight machine designed around a 1,150 hp Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled V12 inline engine and armed with two 0.50-in. machine guns in the nose.
Direct reference of a W engine described as "inline": "Napier Lion". The Racing Campbells. Archived from the original on 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-06-30. The Lion was a 12-cylinder W-block inline aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting in 1917, and ending in the 1930s. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
General definition of an inline engine in aviation: Johnson, E. R. (Apr 20, 2011). "Glossary". United States Naval Aviation, 1919-1941: Aircraft, Airships and Ships Between the Wars (illustrated ed.). McFarland. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-78644-550-9. INLINE ENGINE–A type of reciprocating piston engine in which an even (4-6-8-12) number of cylinders are arranged either in a straight line or in a V-type configuration directly above (or below) the crankcase. Most early inline aircraft engines were water-cooled via a radiator system, though air-cooled types began to appear during the 1930s.

These sources had been in the article for three quarters of a year before the terminology was further questioned. A source was asked for; sources were given. The usage may be regional, but it has been established as being used in aviation in at least one major version of the English language. Sincerely, SamBlob (talk) 10:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]