Indy and the Veteran

[txtom]

Every Veteran on this forum, as well as every Aviation enthusiast, will find something of interest in this posting. I will add that almost everyone driving these days uses something mentioned here.

 

This essay begins with one James Allison. born in Michigan in 1872. Born into the business world, he was out of school at age 12 and working in the family business. Living in Indianapolis at age 18, he took on the role of Vice President upon his Father's death. The business , Allison Coupon Company, exists to this day as Allison Payment sytems.

 

A few years later, in 1904, Allison was approached by Carl G. Fisher to form another company. You have all seen the name "Prest-O-Lite" in pictures of early Indianapolis cars, and they were the first manufacturer of automobile headlights. Originally brass canisters with compressed gas running through tubes. Given the growth of Automobiles during the 1900s and 1910s, the company made several million dollars, and several million more upon it's sale to Union Carbide in 1917.

 

In 1916, Allison formed the Indianapolis Speedway Team company, preparing Indy race cars. In their first venture, the 1916 race, they had several entrants. Driver Pete Henderson finished 6th in a Prestolite sponsored team car, Howdy Wilcox finished 7th, Gil Anderson finished 13th, Johnny Aitken 15th, Tom Rooney 17th, Charles Merz 9th, and Eddie Rickenbacker 20th in another Prestolite sponsorship. Allison's team was 1/3 of the starting field, and his drivers Aitken, Rickenbacker, and Anderson started 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The team grew to 100 personnel during this time.

 

Upon the US Declaration of War on Germany in 1917, they stopped work on the races and retooled for the war effort. During the war, the company acquired a new name, Allison Experimental Company. At this time, they produced tooling, jigs, and gauges for Liberty Aircraft Engines. The Liberty Engine, developed by a designer from Packard, and another from Hall-Scott Motors, was built by several companies, including most of the General Motors Companies.

 

Upon the end of WW1, Allison, while retaining the manufacturing plants, restarted the racing team, albeit on a smaller scale. In the 1919 race, they won with Howdy Wilcox and placed Jules Goux in third.

 

Getting back to the Liberty L-12 engine for moment, one variant of this engine was the Allison V-1650. This began the Allison venture into Aviation.

 

The Allison Experimental company became the Allison Engine Company producing aircraft engines and components, a company that exists to this day with another name.

 

One of the early developments in this company was the development of steel shell bearings which we find in engines today. The early engines had poured lead-based bearings. Also known as "Babbitt". Engine reliability was simply not there. In 1921, craftsman in the Allison foundry developed steel shells with bronze bonded to them. A variant of this process produces the very bearings in everyone of your racing engines.

 

As the 1930s approached Allison set out to produce the first 1,000 horsepower engine in an aircraft, and in 1937, the Allison V1710 was tested at 1,020 horsepower. The 1710 was the cubic inches of the engine. The 1710 was the only US developed V-12 liquid cooled engine to see action in WW2, but the aircraft it flew in included the P-39, P-40, the early P-51, the P-38, and the P-63.

 

Another Allison piston engine, the V-3420 was introduced in 1943, and powered several development aircraft the XB-19A, at the time the world's largest bomber; the XB-39; P-75; XP-58, a larger P-38; and the XB-39, a larger B-29.

 

In 1946, Allison would produce the first production jet engine in the US. The J33 powered the P-80 to a then world speed record of 623 mph. The P-80 and the long running T-33 trainer were the most notable users of this engine, although it was also n the XF-92 Convair Delta wing prototype, F-94 Starfire, F9F Panther, and Cougar, the Regulus Missile, the P-34M Mercator, the B-61 Missile, and the AJ-1 Savage.

 

Moving on the the next Allison jet engine, the J-35 powered the F-84, America's first post-war fighter, on it's initial flight. it also powered the Douglas 558 Skystreak to a new world speed record of 650 mph. It would also power the YB-49 Flying Wing prototypes.

 

In late 1949, Allison announced the T40 turboprop engine. This was an experimental engine, but it evolved into the T-56 series, which powers aircraft to this day, including the C-130, P-3, E-2 and C-2. It also powered several civilian aircraft.

 

Allison jet engines went on to power the A-7 which had the TF-41 engine in it. An Allison offshoot of its main companies also produced propellors for the P-51, the C-131, C-130, and the prototype XF-84H . This company was later acquired by long time propellor company Hamilton-Standard.

 

Now Mr Allison died in 1928, so several aspects of this development was done after his passing. Upon his death, the Allison Engine Company was sold to General Motors. It became the Allison division of GM, which would divide into several companies, including the Allison Engine Company (aircraft), Allison Transmission (automotive transmissions), also truck engines and other products. The Aircraft division is now owned by Roll-Royce.

 

To this day, some of you have Allison engines, transmissions, etc, in your vehicles, and all of the Veterans here remember working on, or flying in, one of the many Military aircraft described above.

 

One racing enthusiast, long before any reader on here was born, left a lasting legacy on our current engines, our current military aircraft, and our warfighters.

 

This is how Indy and the Veteran are tied together.

 

God bless every Veteran out there, and thanks.

[PAPA]

Your just to COOL Tom. You amaze me every time we speak. From one Veteran to another I say "Thank you for your service" and "Thank you for keeping us informed".