Ranger V-770
| V-770 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Preserved Ranger V-770 | |
| Type | Piston aero-engine |
| Manufacturer | Ranger Aircraft Engine Division |
| First run | 1931 |
| Major applications | Curtiss SO3C Seamew |
The Ranger V-770 was an American air-cooled inverted V-12 aircraft engine developed by the Ranger Aircraft Engine Division of the Fairchild Engine & Aircraft Corporation in the early 1930s.[1]
Design and development[]
In 1931, the V-770 design was built, derived from the Ranger 6-440 series of inverted inline air-cooled engines, and test flown in the Vought XSO2U-1 Scout. In 1938 it was tested in the Curtiss SO3C Seamew but was found to be unreliable with a tendency to overheat in low-speed flight, but would still be the most produced aircraft to have the V-770, with 795 being built.[2][3] By 1941 a more developed V-770 was installed in the Fairchild XAT-14 Gunner prototype gunnery school aircraft, which went into limited production as the Fairchild AT-21 Gunner, of which 174 were built, not including one radial engine prototype.[4]
Produced from 1941 to 1945, the V-770 featured a two-piece aluminum alloy crankcase, steel cylinder barrels with integral aluminum alloy fins and aluminum alloy heads. The V-770 was the only American inverted V-12 air-cooled engine to reach production. The engine was used in very few aircraft, among them the short lived Fairchild AT-21 twin-engine bomber trainer,[5] and in the two Bell XP-77 light-weight fighter prototypes.
Variants[]
- V-770-4
- Installed in the Vought XSO2U-1 scout aircraft
- V-770-6
- Installed in the Fairchild XAT-14 Gunner prototype, intended for the Ryan SOR-1 Scout
- V-770-7
- Installed in the Bell XP-77 lightweight fighter prototype
- V-770-8
- Installed in the Curtiss SO3C Seamew Scout.[3]
- V-770-9
- Installed in the North American XAT-6E Texan prototype.[4]
- V-770-11
- Installed in the Fairchild AT-21 Gunner.[4]
- V-770-15
- Installed in the Fairchild AT-21 Gunner.[4]
- V-770-17
- Similar to V-770-8 but with raised hollow propeller shaft for mounting cannon or machine gun.
- GV-770
- Geared un-supercharged variants.[6]
- SV-770
- Supercharged direct-drive variants.[6]
- SGV-770
- Supercharged and geared variants.[6]
- SGV-770C-1
- Tested in the Curtiss XF6C-7 Hawk fighter-bomber at 350 hp (260 kW).[3]
- SGV-770C-1B
- (V-770-11)
- SGV-770C-2A
- (V-770-8)
- SGV-770C-B1
- Installed in the Ikarus 214 prototype
- SGV-770D-4
- (V-770-17) Similar to C-2A but with raised hollow propeller shaft for mounting cannon or machine gun.
- SGV-770D-5
- Developed for post-war commercial use,[1] 700 hp (520 kW) at 3,600 RPM, weight 870 lb (390 kg), height 31.11 in (790 mm), length 74.92 in (1,903 mm), width 33.28 in (845 mm)
Applications[]
- Bell XP-77
- Curtiss SO3C Seamew
- Edo OSE
- Fairchild F-46
- Fairchild AT-21 Gunner
- Fairchild BQ-3
- Ikarus 213/Utva 213 Vihor
- Ikarus 214 (prototype)
- Vought XSO2U
- North American XAT-6E
Engines on display[]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2021) |
- One restored engine in storage at the Carolinas Aviation Museum
- Two engines in the Davis Aircraft private collection
- One survives at Cincinnati State Aviation school
- One V-770-7 is at the Museum of Flight restoration center.
- One modified V-770 survives in an art car by Michael Leeds[7]
- The Yankee Air Museum has a V-770 on display.
- One new V-770 is located in Rural South Central Nebraska.
- One restored engine at the Vintage Flying Museum in Fort Worth.
Specifications (SGV-770C-1)[]
Data from Janes Fighting Aircraft of World War II (1989).[1]
General characteristics
- Type: 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine
- Bore: 4 in (102 mm)
- Stroke: 5.125 in (130 mm)
- Displacement: 773 cu in (12.7 L)
- Length: 62 in (1,575 mm)
- Width: 28 in (711 mm)
- Height: 32.2 in (818 mm)
- Dry weight: 730 lb (330 kg)
Components
- Valvetrain: Single overhead camshaft (SOHC) (1 shaft per bank), gear driven
- Supercharger: Single-speed, single-stage, produced 45 inches of mercury (1.5 bar, 22 psi) at take-off
- Fuel system: Holley non-icing carburetor
- Fuel type: 87 octane gasoline
- Oil system: Full pressure type
- Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
- Power output: 520 hp (390 kW) at 3,150 rpm
- Specific power: 0.68 hp/in³
- Compression ratio: 6.5:1
- Power-to-weight ratio: 0.71 hp/lb
See also[]
Comparable engines
Related lists
References[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ranger V-770. |
- ^ a b c Jane, Frederick Thomas; Bridgman, Leonard; Gunston, Bill (1989), Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II, London: Random House, ISBN 1-85170-493-0
- ^ Smith, Herschel H. (1986), Aircraft Piston Engines: From the Manly Balzer to the Continental Tiara, SunflowerUniversity Press, p. 255, ISBN 978-0-89745-079-9, OCLC 14253144
- ^ a b c Eden, Paul; Moeng, Soph (2002), The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, London: Amber Books, ISBN 978-0-7607-3432-2
- ^ a b c d Swanborough, F. G.; Bowers, Peter M. (1964), United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, New York: Putnam, ISBN 0-85177-816-X
- ^ "Ranger V-770 Inverted". National Museum of the USAF. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
- ^ a b c Bridgman, Leonard (1937). Grey, C.G. (ed.). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1937. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
- ^ Blown Ranger
- Aircraft air-cooled V piston engines
- 1930s aircraft piston engines
- Inverted V12 aircraft engines