The development of Piston Aero Engines – Second edition

Citation

Farley, J. (2002), "The development of Piston Aero Engines – Second edition", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774dae.001

The development of Piston Aero Engines – Second edition

by Bill Gunston

Keywords: Aircraft, Engines

This is a huge book. Not physically big, only 230 pages with a 17 x 24cm format, but it is so densely packed with information that in terms of content the description huge is not an exaggeration.

When I first opened it I intended to skim through it, form an impression – as one does – and let you know what that impression was. This turned out to be impossible, as I got so absorbed in the story that I found myself wanting to read and digest every line.

Who should read this book? Anybody who knows nothing about piston aero engines but is interested in them at any level. Anybody who actually uses or works on piston aero engines, be they pilots, designers, engineers or mechanics. Anybody who has retired from using, or working on piston aero engines and wants to look back to those (happy?) days. Any student who is studying piston engines, of any sort, and at any level. I could go on but I am sure you get the point.

Why do I think this book so good and so potentially useful to so many different types of readers? The answer lies in a mixture of both content and the style. As to content, the book is split into two sections HOW IT WORKS and HOW ENGINES DEVELOPED. Their chapter headings say it all. The first section has four, Basic Principles, Engine cycles and two on Engine design. The four second section chapters are called The dawn of powered flight, Between the world Wars, The bigengine peak and Piston engines today and tomorrow. The book finishes with a final section entitled Update to the New Edition, which includes information now available on the fascinating engines that the Russians designed for the last of their big piston engined bombers, as well as other developments since the first edition was published in 1993.

As to the books style, it is perhaps best described as what would you expect to hear if you listened to a master of piston aero engines talk about his life's passion. And if you came to the conversation without ever really knowing what a force or pressure was, let alone an adiabatic or isotherinal event, fear not, all is explained.

The world is full of very clever people who have extraordinary knowledge about their subjects, but who so often can explain nothing. Bill Gunston has extraordinary knowledge about this topic but he can also talk about it. A wonderful combination.

John Farley

Details available from: Publisher Patrick Stevens Limited, ISBN 1 85260 563 4, No price quoted