| 9C | |
|---|---|
| Le Rhône 9C engine installed in a Sopwith Pup at the Royal Air Force Museum London | |
| Type | Rotary engine |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Gnome et Rhône |
| First run | 1916 |
| Number built | 1,088 (British production) |
The Le Rhône 9C is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 80 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to a number of military aircraft types of the First World War. Le Rhône 9C engines were also produced under license in Great Britain by several companies,[1] and in the United States.
In common with other Le Rhône series engines, the 9C featured highly visible telescopic copper induction pipes and used a single push-pull rod to operate its two overhead valves.[2]
Examples of Le Rhône 9C engines are on view in aviation museums either installed in aircraft exhibits or as stand-alone displays. A few examples of the 9C engine remain airworthy, one powering a vintage Sopwith Pup biplane in England, and a small number of others having powered reproduction WW I-era aircraft at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.
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The Shuttleworth Collection's airworthy Sopwith Pup is powered by a 80 hp Le Rhône rotary engine and flies regularly throughout the summer months.[3][4]
A Le Rhône 9C is installed in the Sopwith Pup on display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. After renovation this aircraft flew for a brief period in the 1970s and is now retired.[5]
Data from Lumsden.[1]
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