Galloway Atlantic Aircraft Engine

Built in 1918 in Tongland, Kirkcudbrightshire Scotland, the Galloway Atlantic aircraft engine is a result of needed power for larger aircraft during WWI. The massive 12-cylinder Galloway Atlantic combined two cast iron 6-cylinder B.H.P. (Beardmore-Halford-Pullinger) Adriatic engines on a single common crankshaft.

Did you know?

Installed in a specially-designed experimental De Havilland D.H.15 “Gazelle” aircraft, the 500hp Galloway Atlantic engine successfully completed extensive flight testing for military service in WWI.

In 1920, Vincent J. Burnelli from Texas designed the broad-bodied “lifting fuselage” that curved like an airfoil across top and bottom and tapered to a thin edge at the rear. Powered by two side-by-side Galloway Atlantic engines in the nose, it could carry 32 passengers or three tons of freight. Unfortunately, Burnelli never secured financing to produce the massive aircraft.

About our engine

Discovered in a field, this rare engine is on loan from the University of Texas at Dallas History of Aviation Collection. Restored by Museum volunteers Joe Swift and Ken Branscome, this Galloway Atlantic aircraft engine is now prominently displayed in the Golden Age Gallery. This is one of only two known surviving Galloway Atlantic engines. The other engine is in New Zealand.

Engine Specifications:
500 hp, 12-cylinder upright 60 degree engine
Water cooled
Internal combustion engine in V or "Vee" configuration (cylinders and pistons aligned in two separate banks and appear in a "V" when viewing down the crankshaft's axis)

Only one built of the de Havilland D.H.15 "Gazelle" (left). The Burnelli RB-2 had an 80' wingspan and 46' long fuselage (right). Both served as experimental aircraft for the Galloway Atlantic aircraft engine. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.