Szekely SR-3

The Szekely SR -3 aircraft engine was an air-cooled three-cylinder radial engine, which was developed and built by the Szekely Aircraft Engine Co. in Holland, Michigan in the 1920s and 1930s. It was designed by Otto E. Szekely.

Use

The series SR- 3 was used exclusively in the U.S. to drive small aircraft, such as in the Taylor Aircraft Company, American Eagle Aircraft Corporation and other smaller aircraft manufacturers.

But the American Eagle Aircraft Corporation built around 230 units of the first SR -3 series with 30 hp. When Aguilucho Series B -31 and B -32 that was manufactured in 1930, the SR -3 came with 45 hp. Taylor Aircraft put the SR -3 at its Taylor H -2 and Taylor E-2 a.

Due to numerous problems with the reliability of the SR -3 type were replaced by other engines on many aircraft. Some SR- 3 engines, the company still exist, but only in museum quality such as the Holland Museum in Michigan.

Description

While in conventional piston engines in boxer or series construction of each piston is connected directly through a connecting rod to the crankshaft, is the SR- 3 has no direct connection of the piston to the crankshaft. Since the axes of the cylinders are in a plane, all piston rods can not be attached directly to the main shaft (crankshaft). On the main shaft ( where the propeller is mounted ) there is a large connecting rod of Hauptpleuels (also called Mutterpleuel ), in this the auxiliary connecting rod (also called Anlenkpleuel ) articulated.

Through this design, the motor housing of the SR- 3 engine was much lighter and shorter than comparable Boxer or inline engines of the time. The shaft of the Hauptpleuels served on one side for direct propeller recording, magneto ignition was mounted on the opposite side. The SR -3 series had no electric starter.