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Charles Lawrance started his designs for an air-cooled engine in 1915. In 1921, Lawrance designed his first engine for a U.S. Navy contract, which wanted a compact lightweight engine not plagued with water leakage problems. Following a Navy encouraged merger with Wright, the Lawrance engine progressed through design stages, as the Wright Whirlwind J-3, J-4, J-5, and J-6 series. The most famous of these was the J-5, used by Lindbergh.

J-4 engines powered such aircraft as the Fairchild FC-1 and FC-2, Fokker Universal, Laird Commercial LC-B200, Stearman C2B and C3B, and Stinson Detroiter SB-1. When introduced in 1925, the J-4 was adopted by the Navy as a stock power plant. A total of 190 J-4 engines were built.

In 1926, Admiral Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made a flight from Spitzbergen, Norway over the North Pole and back. This was the first airplane flight over the Pole, and used the J-4B engine in a Fokker F-VII Tri-motor.

 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 Circa 1926 Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary Designer Lawrance Aero Engine Corp
 Manufacturer Wright Aeronautical
 Physical Description Type: Radial, 9 cylinders, air cooled Power rating: 160 kW (215 hp) at 1,800 rpm Displacement: 12.9 L (788 cu in) Bore and Stroke: 114 mm (4.5 in.) x 140 mm (5.5 in.) Weight: 231 kg (508 lb) Dimensions Other: 52 x 51 x 42 in., 336.6kg (132.1 x 129.5 x 106.7cm, 742lb.)
 Materials Steel, Paint, Aluminum, Copper, Rubber, Textile, Phenolic, Preservative Coating, Brass
 Inventory Number A19750207000 Credit Line Transferred from the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. No known restrictions. Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Open Access (CCO)
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