Topic: an old aeroplane

[piersdad]

after the builder of this plane had successfully flown a first prototype in 1903 in New Zealand  he set to to build this very unusual plane

it had vary pitch propeller
gimboling  motor
4 cylinder supercharged 4 stroke motor that with a flick of a lever  became a 4 cylinder two stroke

the tail had at one time a steering propeller (like a helicopter)
and a belt drive to the front wheels for taxiing along the ground.

it never flew but a friend of mine who lived next door said he often started the motor  and it certainly made a noise.

after he died the aircraft was donated to the Auckland  ;motat' museum
how ever the problem of delivering this a few 1000 miles was a huge hurdle until the American air force  with one of its galaxy aircraft  flying back from the antarctic  offered to deliver the delicate craft intact.

after the plane arrived at the auckland airport and the delicate craft  unloaded an incredulous security aske what the %$# was that.
the non commital rely was.
"just delivering the air new Zealands new passenger plane"

however it was delivered to the museum soon after.



a brilliant inventor who had previously built a 2 cylinder double acting  petrol motor that powered his first aircraft in 1903
Richard pierce
 

[Stephen M]

4 stroke motor that with a flick of a lever  became a 4 cylinder two stroke
 

This is the part that intrigues me. Any idea how this was accomplished? My understanding is that with a supercharger you can run a 2 stroke cycle with conventional intake and exhaust valves, since you can still charge the chamber during the compression stroke. Maybe a 2:1 switchable planetary gearset for the camshaft?   

[piersdad]

i don't know if any one has found out  exactly but he was an expert at a double acting(like a steam engine) petrol powered motor. the motor may have a means of using the down strike of one piston to supercharge one of the other intakes of a cylinder  .
or some thing like that.
no one is game enough to dissect the motor and no drawings exist.

i imagine the switch would be something to do with the intakes and down strokes of each cylinder.

this inventor was a mechanical genious so what he had inside the motor is any ones guess.

the time line for this aeroplane was completed when he was elderly and the 2nd world war was at peak.

his carburetor on his first engine was a petrol soaked rag in a cage fed with a supply of petrol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pearse

he was a genius that had no money to back him up so had to make cylinder sleeves from old steam pipes etc
and wing struts from old electrical conduit

[neilshouse]

4 stroke motor that with a flick of a lever  became a 4 cylinder two stroke
 

This is the part that intrigues me. Any idea how this was accomplished? My understanding is that with a supercharger you can run a 2 stroke cycle with conventional intake and exhaust valves, since you can still charge the chamber during the compression stroke. Maybe a 2:1 switchable planetary gearset for the camshaft?   

I think this would work, if the camshaft was run at engine speed it would be a 2 stroke and at half engine speed a 4 stroke. 
Or maybe it was achieved with some type of sleeve valve mechanism that could be turned on and off.   
I hope someone has the nerve to pull the engine to bits and see what's inside.

[JanBlackSmith]

exactly but he was an expert at a double acting(like a steam engine) petrol powered motor. the motor may have a

[piersdad]

in those days steam engines were double acting so i would think he was using the down stroke of a piston  to charge the top the motor was fairly high  for  4 stroke