The Gnome 7 Omega (commonly called the Gnome 50 hp) is a French seven-cylinder,
air-cooledaero engine produced by
Gnome et Rhône.[2] It was shown at the Paris Aero Salon held in December 1908 and was first flown in 1909. It was the world's first[1] aviation
rotary engine produced in quantity. Its introduction revolutionized the aviation industry[3] and it was used by many early aircraft. It produced 37 kW (50 hp) from its 8 L (490 cu in) engine
capacity.[4] A Gnome Omega engine powers the 1912
Blackburn Monoplane, owned and operated by the
Shuttleworth Collection, the oldest known airworthy British-designed aeroplane worldwide.[5] A two-row version of the same engine was also produced, known as the Gnome 14 Omega-Omega or Gnome 100 hp. The prototype Omega engine still exists, and is on display at the United States'
National Air and Space Museum.[2]
Like all early Gnome et Rhône engines the Omega featured a single pushrod driven exhaust valve on the cylinder head; the intake valve was located in the piston crown, opening by inertia on the downstroke and feeding the intake charge from the crankcase into the upper part of the cylinder. No throttle was provided, the pilot controlling his speed by switching off the ignition when necessary.
Variants
Gnome 7 Omega
Single-row 7-cyl. original version; 50 hp (37 kW).
Gnome 14 Omega-Omega
Two-row, 14-cylinder version using Omega
cylinders; 100 hp (75 kW).
Smithsonian Institution (2018).
"Gnome Omega No. 1 Rotary Engine". National Air and Space Museum. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. Archived from
the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved Aug 17, 2018.
Shuttleworth (2018).
"Blackburn Monoplane". Shuttleworth Collection. Archived from
the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved Aug 17, 2018.
Further reading
Moteurs d'Aviation Gnome(PDF) (in French). 49, Rue Lafitte, Paris: Société Des Moteurs Gnome. 1910. Retrieved 19 June 2018.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (
link)