1908 rotary airplane engines

[Teller.John at orbital.com]

That's what was called a rotary engine.  The engine itself was used as a giant
flywheel as they were developed in the days before torque converters and such.
This made the the planes really challenging to fly.  Fighters like the Sopwith
Camel had a propensity to roll on takeoff in the hands of an inexperienced pilot
and due to the gyrosopic action of the spinning engine, reacted strangely to the
stick.  For cooling, the cylinders were exposed to the airstream (just like
those on later radial engines).

>Everyone should visit Rheinbeck Aerodrome once in there
>lives. Real airshows put on with pre WW-I airplanes. I saw
>them fly a 1908 plane with a Radial engine. The crankshaft
>bolted to the plane. The propellor was attached to the
>engine crankcase. The whole engine spun around for cooling!!
>Each cylinder had an exhaust pipe about 10" long with no
>mufflers. Wildest thing I ever saw or heard.