Once the largest independent manufacturer of automotive engines, Detroit’s Continental Motors Corporation purchased the rights to a single-sleeve valve engine design in 1925, believing this technology might replace poppet valves in aircraft engines. However, after considerable testing with U.S. Navy support, the company only became successful in aviation after reverting to poppet valves.
Continental’s future success began in 1931 when it began production of four cylinder horizontally opposed engines. For example, the Continental A-40 made the classic Piper Cub possible. Today the opposed engine design has replaced all other types of piston engines for various reasons, including fewer cylinders for equal power and smooth running. And Continental is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of general aviation engines.
O-470 general aviation applications include the Cessna 180, 182, and 310 and Beech Bonanza H35. Military aircraft applications include the Beech T-34, Navion L-17, and Cessna L-19 and O-1. This O-470-11B powered U.S. Marine Corps OE (Cessna Bird Dog) aircraft.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Circa 1950s-1960s
United States of America
PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary
Continental, Inc.
Type: Reciprocating, 6 cylinders, Horizontally opposed, Air-cooled
Power rating: 179 kW (240 hp) at 2,600 rpm
Displacement: 7.72 L (471 cu in)
Bore and Stroke: 127 mm (5 in.) x 101.6 mm (4 in.)
Weight: 183.3 kg (404 lb)
Overall: 2 ft. 3 3/4 in. × 2 ft. 9 9/16 in. × 3 ft., 404lb. (70.5 × 85.3 × 91.5cm, 183.3kg)
HAZ MAT: Possible Cadmium
Aluminum Alloys
Ferrous Alloys
Rubber
White Metals
A19870200000
Transferred from the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum and Museums Branch Activities, Quantico, Virginia
National Air and Space Museum
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.