The Daimler-Benz company's virtual monopoly on the production of aircraft engines in Germany stifled research and development of other engines. As a result, when the Allies introduced a new generation of high-performance engines in 1916, Germany found itself without a suitable replacement for its now-obsolete standard aircraft power plant, the 119 kw (160-shp) Daimler-Benz Mercedes.
Believing that he had a solution to the crisis, Daimler-Benz designer Max Fritz proposed a new engine that used the same technology as the older Mercedes. But his ideas met with resistance, so Fritz left and joined Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW). There he designed an engine that retained the 6-cylinder in-line configuration of the earlier Daimler-Benz engines, but was superior in many respects.
The BMW Model IIIa had unusually low fuel consumption and very good performance at high altitudes. This was the result of a choked down carburetor setting and a high compression ratio. It powered such aircraft as the Fokker D VII.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
1918
Country of Origin
Germany
Type
PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary
Manufacturer
BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke)
Physical Description
Type: Reciprocating, In-line, 6 cylinders, liquid-cooled,
Power Rating: 134 kW (180 hp) at 1410 rpm
Displacement: 19.058 L (1,163 cu in.)
Bore and Stroke: 150 mm (5.9 in) x 180 mm (7.1 in)
Weight: 293 kg (644 lb)
Dimensions
3-D: 170.2 × 50.8 × 105.4cm (67 × 20 × 41 1/2 in.)
Support: 65.4 × 106.7 × 50.8cm (25 3/4 in. × 42 in. × 20 in.)
Materials
Metal
Inventory Number
A19710908000
Credit Line
Transferred from the U.S. Navy
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Open Access (CCO)
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