The ACTUAL Howard Hughes, Spruce Goose, Pratt and Whitney R-4360 Wasp startup 3,000 HP!

More details can be found at penngrovepower.org/main-exhibits/
The R-4360 was a 28-cylinder four-row air-cooled radial engine. Each row of seven air-cooled cylinders possessed a slight angular offset from the previous, forming a semi-helical arrangement to facilitate effective airflow cooling of the cylinder rows behind them, inspiring the engine's "corncob" nickname. A mechanical supercharger geared at 6.374:1 ratio to engine speed provided forced induction, while the propeller was geared at 0.375:1 so that the tips did not reach inefficient supersonic speeds.
The Wasp Major was maintenance-intensive. Improper starting technique could foul all 56 spark plugs, requiring hours to clean or replace.
Engine displacement was 4,362.50 cu in (71.489 L), hence the model designation. Initial models developed 3,000 hp (2,240 kW), and later models 3,500 hp, but one model delivered 4,300 hp (3200 kW) using two large turbochargers in addition to the supercharger. Engines weighed 3,482 to 3,870 lb (1,579 to 1,755 kg), giving a power-to-weight ratio of 1.11 hp/lb (1.83 kW/kg).

[@w.e.s.]

I need this for a personal fan in the summer

[@patchescessna7348]

Years ago, I was fortunate enough to have lunch under the wing of the H-1 in its Long Beach hangar, At my table was one of the crew members from its only flight, He mentioned Howard had a standing directive that the H-1 was to be maintained for flight. For years they pumped hot oil through all the engines weekly and kept the aircraft in flight ready status. I remember him mentioning there was provisions for crew member mechanics access in flight.

[@coster3168]

Buy two visited the aircraft at Long Beach they had the wings disassembled at that time was undercover what a beautiful aircraft God bless Howard Hughes

[@littlepastelkitten]

umm its the h4 tho, h1 is a racer plane

[@davidslefort6541]

Push it to the max for a few seconds I love to hear that power 4500 horsepower

[@mjw1955]

It's been said that one reason that the Goose never flew again was Hughes was secretly alarmed at how underpowered it was. Later on, Hughes engineers said that it would have been a good candidate for conversion to turboprop engines.

[@thomasfink2385]

Yes. It managed to take off because of a favourite guts of wind and it could fly only in ground effect height. But with 8*3000 PS it is a strange case of beeing underpowered .....

[@hawkdsl]

Actually the story goes that as the plane took off, there was a cracking sound near the tail section. This was the first time anything had been built with a laminating technique similar to modern fiberglass, but in this case was wood sheet. So to be on the safe side, it was returned to the hanger. In true Howard fashion, it was never investigated. But the plane was not under powered on any level. It had 24,000 combined horse power, and could fly to 20,000 feet.

[@davecrupel2817]

@@thomasfink2385 The thing has the aerodynamics of a *sail.* The aspect ratio of those colossal wings was so big you could probably stand two people head to toe between the top side & bottom side. In my somewhat inexperienced opinion, (im merely an airplane mechanic, not an engineer) on an airplane that big, you need to have thrust hardpoints spread around the airframe. Not just atop the fuselage. And replace all those Big heavy R-4360s with the more powerful Kuznetsov NK-12. Powerhouse for the TU-95 and the AN-40. The largest and most powerful turboprop engine ever put into production. It weighs twice as much as a 4360. But it puts out up to 15,000 Shaft Horsepower. *4.5 times* what the R-4360 can do.

[@Dad_Woof]

That is not true. He modified it after the flight to fly even better.

[@privateer0561]

@@hawkdsl No, it couldn't. Because it never did.

[@rickyhuff]

My favorite engine, not to mention the best video and cleanest running one I've seen!

[@claiborneeastjr4129]

Just imagine eight of these monsters at full tilt! Eighty-year old technology at its finest!

[@chrisdigital]

"It belongs in a museum!!!" In Harrison Fords voice.

[@Green-Mountainboy]

I need that engine on my motorcycle.

[@giorgiomoretto6392]

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@ETKSauron]

One would think that the engine would belong in the same museum as the plane as part of its history...I wonder if Evergreen has attempted to buy this from Penngrove. Beautiful engine. Back when the piston was king and size mattered!

[@The_Sly_Potato]

As a wise man once said, "There's no replacement for displacement!"

[@robertallen6848]

Awesome greg history

[@specforged5651]

Unbelievable!! Love it!

[@georgechapman494]

I’ve always been an aviation aircraft junkie. I grew up, just down the road from Patrick Air Force Base in Central Florida as a kid I always got to see military aircraft fly, but these old engines have always strike my interest. What a amazing engineering victory this engine was at its time.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

My Dad was stationed in Jacksonville in the early 60's and his job was changing these radial engines and doing the maintenance on them. Him and his crew did a lot of work with the P2V, at least what dad called it, and its Wright 3350 engines.

[@davidforbes4392]

A story about Howard Hughes' famous flight of the Spruce Goose said that during the flight Hughes had 8 men with fire extinguishers in the wings behind the 8 engines, just in case of fire. I've read this several times, but I've never seen a photo that backs it up. It sounds like Hughes, though. He was a remarkable man in his prime, even if he did go nuts in his later years. Watch the movie "The Aviator" with Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes. I think it's pretty well done.

[@georgehomenko5358]

Seen the movie, it was good. I can believe the story about the fire extinguishers. Especially after seeing this engine start.

[@jerrytee2688]

Fuck Leonardo DiCaprio.

[@dadillen5902]

@@jerrytee2688 Now that's just rude.

[@jamesshunt5123]

David Forbes. First of all Hughes never referred to the plane as Spruce Goose - that was the name bestowed upon it by the press who were on him like vultures. Second of all Hughes was an engineer at heart so there's no way he'd design his plane with some compartment behind each engine for some man with a fire extinguisher. And *be reasonable now* - who'd EVER agree to sit behind a huge engine with some tiny fire extinguisher?? If a fire breaks out a tiny fire extinguisher - especially those they had back in WWII - won't make a difference. He got 8 men to do this?? To prove what?? " I've read this several times, but I've never seen a photo that backs it up" That's because it's an *obvious myth* . I'm amazed somebody even believes it. "It sounds like Hughes, though." No, he was a methodical man who would have bet his entire fortune of any design of his working or he'd die trying. "even if he did go nuts in his later years." He was never "nuts". He suffered from OCD throughout his life. Back in his day nobody understood OCD so he was simply dismissed as a "nutter".

[@coldwar1952]

Read the book 'Howard Hughes And His Flying Boat' by Charles Barton. Well written with footnotes and considered a reference on the topic. No such mention of what you relate about men with extinguishers.

[@Mike-01234]

The engine was actually compact for it's power output. Aircraft engines run at much higher continues loads then auto engines.

[@KubanKevin]

I would give up many things to experience that violent, brutal, and raw power first hand.

[@briangreiner660]

There is another surviving Spruce Goose H/H collection engine just outside of Allen County IN. in a personal collection.

[@kh40yr]

The Spruce Goose set for the 1990's in a partial See-thru tent next to Evergreen Aviation McMinnville Or. The main fuse was in 1 long tent, and both wings and other bits were in another. I drove by it every day. They were gathering funding to build the new museum that it now sits inside, across the highway from Evergreen Aviation. Every time I drove by those pieces in the tents, I thought of Howard, and what he would have thought of it all. I think we know the answer. I visited in 2002 when it was assembled and placed, and paid the money and set in Howards chair. Mammoth cockpit. A small RV could fit in there. And yes, they did pump hot oil thru those motors before turning them over for decades, on Howards orders. They kept it flight ready for him till 1975. An extraordinary treat to see that turning over.

[@garyives1218]

Incredible! Thanks.

[@kennethohmert3128]

Love to see it in a wind tunnel with full prop and full speed.

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

Somebody stick some wings on the trailer and we can call it the H-1T: The Spruce Trailer!

[@davidabrams1]

I saw this engine run a few years ago in Penngrove California car show. I have video of it. Have been to this guys house museum in July this year hes got tons of cool old equipment.

[@tomberto9041]

The best way to see a running R-4360 will be at the final races flown by the Sea Fury "Dreadnought" at the Reno Air Races, this September.

[@erwinjohannesrommel1965]

I like this engine

[@RedfishCarolina]

Can't wait to see them LS-swap that trailer!

[@hawkdsl]

LS SWAP THE WORLD!

[@nick-leffler]

I need one for my Lamborghini when I get one. I'd love the swap the V12 out.

[@OldWrench45]

LOVE IT !!

[@raymorley8241]

sweet indeed

[@Onwaxwings]

Sir your check engine light is saying you have a mis fire on cylinder 21!! Lol amazing engine

[@jimsonbrown9768]

Couldn't have rev'ed it up at least once?

[@rleeAZ]

Might need a wider base or anchor to the ground to keep it from flipping over from the torque.

[@jerrytee2688]

No shit, fuckin' lame.

[@jerrytee2688]

@RedneckSpaceMan What?

[@rev.andyh.1082]

Not without something big to keep that trailer from taking off.

[@cbw7cbw7]

He's likely not running the correct fuel so the manifold pressure cannot be increased. The BSFC of this engine at 100% costs roughly $104.90 per minute in av gas alone.

[@NORTY50]

Corn cob.... There's a miniature version of this engine at the Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad. It runs too!

[@cameronscott2596]

Anyone have any advice as to who I would contact in order to get information on restoring one of these? A local school has been asking be about it due to my (limited) aviation background, they claim it's one of the original backup engines for the spruce goose

[@georgehomenko5358]

Please contact the Penngrove Power & Implement Museum. It is their engine. They are located in Penngrove Calif. The web page can direct you to who to talk to.

[@cameronscott2596]

@@georgehomenko5358 thank you so much, I'll be sure to pass this on

[@cameronscott2596]

@Kathleen Shaw holy cow thank you, I'll pass this on to them

[@TheAmerican1963]

Knowing Howard Hughes, were there any modifications that he demanded of the power plant???????

[@InflatablePlane]

Alright. So who's up to remove and clean all 56 of those spark plugs? Not it!!

[@davef.2329]

More than a few guys got out of the Air Force and/or aviation in general because of that engine, in particular the variants used on the B-36, B-50, and KC-97 with all the horrendous exhaust plumbing used in conjunction with the turbo-charging.

[@minekush1138]

Id do it worth it to hear it start up butt id revv ol girl up a "little" wouldnt just sit at idle like this old dudes doiing id also not mountbit to a trailer but to something like maybe a 1960$ nova n then outrun lambos 😂

[@joachimsingh2929]

Finally something to power my Mother in laws "back massager"

[@ph11p3540]

If it wasn't for the extreme rarity of these engines, I would want one in a deep V power boat for Florida coastal power boating

[@maindrianpace6898]

What are all the sparks at the bottom for?

[@billestes4335]

That is engine oil/gasoline that has leaked out of the engine into the drip pan under the engine. The wind from the prop is making it shimmer. The old radial engines leaked and burned huge amounts of oil and this was the biggest production engine that we used on U.S. planes. The saying was that if it wasn't leaking , there was no oil in it!

[@bensnipes7288]

Eargasm!

[@bdogjr7779]

Wow《☆》Music to my ears👍🏾😎☮

[@jakeroberts92]

Wow a double wasp! What an absolute beast!

[@25mitchel]

Not a twin wasp, not a double wasp, but a wasp major

[@531671967]

@@25mitchel 4 rows of 7 cylinders each row.

[@davef.2329]

@@25mitchel A wasp nest.

[@jamesb.9155]

I wonder what the fuel consumption was per hour during flight operation? This is a 71 liters of displacement engine.

[@davef.2329]

Probably in the ballpark of 200-210 GPH (per engine).

[@lacyrider72]

I would like to see the documentation on this engine . It would be worth more if it was known to have been in one of the XF-11s .

[@camojoe83]

4350s were in dozens of aircraft.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

Dam complicated thing. But sounds like music to me..

[@H-Zazoo]

I'm not surprised the plane wasn't successful with tiny propellers like that.

[@lightningwrench]

You’re funny

[@abguy4]

was it raining that day - Or was that oil dripping in the pan at the end?

[@The_Sly_Potato]

Radials always did have a tendency for oil drip (I believe). Oil settles in the bottom cylinders and find its way out.

[@paulfharris175]

@@The_Sly_Potato that is why you have to pull the engine threw 9 blades 2 clear the bottom cylinders of oil 🛢 before you started this

[@Corkoth55]

If a radial engine isn't leaking oil, it's empty.

[@ReaperKing705]

I keep asking myself why he doesn't rev it then I realized the propeller is on LOL, He will go flying

[@brettletourneau1417]

With those straight pipes that beast must've been loud as hell!? Yet the crowd doesn't seem bothered by the noise at all. I got a pit pass one year at the Famosa drag strip and for the first time heard a top fuel 500 c.i. dragster fire up while I was within 25 feet and I'll never forget it! The noise reverberated down my actual spinal cord and I was pretty sure I'd crapped my pants...I guess I was expecting the same sort of reaction from the bystanders here?! Is the volume from this engine, with those straight pipes, comparable to that of a top fuel dragster? Just curious

[@singleproppilot]

No. Airplane engines can be very loud, but usually the propeller is louder than the engine itself. None of them approach the top fuel dragster level of noise where your hair stands on end… well, maybe the afterburning jets do, if you can get close to them.

[@camojoe83]

Lol, look at you thinking an engine running on actual *explosives* is going to sound anything like a normal gas engine no matter the size..

[@cuddlessheep9136]

Miles per gallon or gallons per minute? Hmmm

[@Betto_333]

miata owners b lookin at this rn

[@minekush1138]

Put that in a honda $2000

[@tonewill9407]

I doubt they loaned him one the engines, it may be the exact same series.

[@marcusbelvin8448]

I wonder if a P&W R-4360 will fit in a 29 model A FORD has any one done it?

[@camojoe83]

What a garbage vehicle to start with. Gross.

[@raymondherbst7126]

Should have called the other operational owners of 4360’s they’d be glad to help out with the complex governor. Also to determine why yours only is getting 3000hp as was stated by one.

[@kylemichaels3373]

Umm.... Probably because they originally were only rated at 3,000hp and this is one of those versions. It was only later that they made 3500hp, and a third model with a supercharger and twin turbos made 4300hp.

[@mrnm6482]

Honestly I expected a deep rumbling sound

[@jeremylester6054]

can you imagine trying to diagnose a misfire?

[@ToyotatechDK]

Such a cool engines needs it´s original exhaust layout instead.

[@atomicpunk4406]

I was thinking maybe a rototiller

[@jimm3093]

Definitely not started by Coffman shells like they did in Flight of the Phoenix 2

[@B61Mod12]

Even with eight of these it still seems insufficient to move that enormous plane!!

[@camojoe83]

That blurb at the beginning is pretty stupid. These engines weren't rare, and there's still no shortage of people that worked on them. Sure, they're getting old, but they aren't extinct. There's no excuse for a museum to not have a 4360 that runs. Hell, there's pulling tractor owners out there with running engines, just go talk to one of those guys.

[@andrewvare3173]

Maybe just a little bit of torque there....

[@Phatv6]

Now put that in the back of a pickup truck and make it power the car, instant 3000hp

[@mikearakelian6368]

Not much smoke; good, that means the prop was pulled through... Well befor start. Any bent rod would be disasterous to engine... Any radial...

[@nickd.7267]

I think cylinder 17 has a miss

[@tomgooch1422]

I've not the slightest doubt that, had Sonar not been perfected to deal with the German submarines, The Flying Boat would have ferried most of our troops to Europe...with bigger engines. The idea that Hughes/Rolls Royce et al couldn't have solved a basic power-to-weight problem is laughable. Hughes flew it in Long Beach Harbor to prove the project was not a scam, not to take 500 troops to Europe using engines he immediately sensed were inadequate.

[@Beatbassbusta]

put it in miata

[@Burkutace27]

" Improper starting technique could foul all 56 spark plugs, requiring hours to clean or replace" This, boys and girls, is why big piston engines went bye bye.

[@thomasfink2385]

That was lame. Why didn't he rev it up ONCE?

[@leokimvideo]

Imagine the amount of carbon monoxide the operator is inhaling behind this beast of an engine. And lets never forget how dangerous carbon monoxide is as it builds up in your system

[@stevewagner7039]

Not much...there is a big fucking propeller moving air

[@leokimvideo]

@@stevewagner7039 sadly you have zero understanding of how carbon monoxide accumulates in humans. Please do some research before dropping F bombs at me.