Curtiss B-8

The Curtiss B-8 was an early air-cooled 8-cylinder engine used for a number of aircraft and one motorcycle designed by Glenn Curtiss. It powered the AEA June Bug in 1908, becoming the first Curtiss engine to power a heavier-than-air aircraft in sustained flight.[1]

B-8
Type	V-8 air-cooled
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Glenn Curtiss
Major applications	AEA June Bug

Applications included:

• AEA June Bug
• AEA White Wing
• AEA Red Wing
• Curtiss V-8 motorcycle
• Greene 1910 Biplane

Specifications

Data from [2][1]

General characteristics

• Type: V-8 Air-cooled piston engine
• Bore: 3.625 in (92 mm)
• Stroke: 3.25 in (83 mm)
• Displacement: 268 cu in (4,391.7 cc)
• Length: 31 in (79 cm)
• Width: 17 in (43 cm)
• Height: 19.5 in (50 cm)
• Dry weight: 150 lb (68.04 kg)
• Designer: Glenn Curtiss

Performance

• Power output: 40 hp (29.8 kW)
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.27 hp/lb (0.438 kW/kg)

References

1. V-8, Curtiss B-8 Engine, Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum collections
2. House, Kirk W. (2003), Hell-Rider to King of the Air: Glenn Curtiss' Life of Innovation, Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, p. 60, ISBN 0-7680-0802-6, retrieved March 22, 2013