Tech & Auto
How One Pratt & Whitney Engine Changed Air Travel Forever
By CHRIS LITTLECHILD
Frederick Rentschler would shape the history of aviation when he established the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company and began working on the Wasp engine.
His idea for a radial engine would be much lighter than the hefty ones that were widely used and would feature an air-cooling system rather than a liquid-cooling one.
Rentschler's goal was to increase capacity without reducing the engine size. Wasp Serial Number 1 made its debut on Christmas Eve, 1925.
The U.S. Navy was so impressed with the Wasp that it placed 200 engine orders. The first iteration of the Wasp, the R-1340, had become a legend and was produced until 1960.
In 2016, the original Wasp engine was officially declared a historic engineering landmark by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.