John Elliot’s Fokker Triplane at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Virginia has succesfully been installed with a 1918 LeRhone rotary engine, which had not run since November 12, 1918, and which had never before been mounted on an airplane before now. The engine was found a number of years ago still in its factory crate, complete with tool set and a three page record log. John bought the engine last year and sent it to rotary engine specialist Fred Murrin in Pennsylvania for rebuild, who also built the engine mount, fuel/oil tank, and new cowling, and did the installation in John’s existing airframe.
The Triplane was built about 10 years ago by Dana Narkunus in North Carolina, and purchased and refined by Chris Grube in California. It was powered by a modern Lycoming O-320 of 150 horsepower. John Elliot purchased the aircraft in 2021, and he and Andrew King put about 60 hours on it before it was disassembled in 2023 and sent to Fred for the engine conversion to the authentic LeRhone rotary. There are a few more details to take care of, but hopes are high for a test flight with the “new” engine within a few weeks. Watch the video of engine run and discussion with John Elliot below:
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Emma Quedzuweit is a historial researcher and graduate school student originally from California, but travels extensively for work and study. She is the former Assitant Editor at AOPA Pilot magazine and currently freelance writes along with personal projects invovled in the search for missing in action aviators from World War I and II. She is a Private Pilot with Single Engine Land and Sea ratings and tailwheel endorsement and is part-owner of a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. Her favorite aviation experience was earning a checkout in a Fairchild PT-19.
I was really looking forward to hearing about this Rotary engine! Imagine my surprise when I realized that we were reading about a Radial Engine! Opps!
This magnificent engine has a fixed (non-moving) crankshaft, of which the cylinders rotate about, hence the aircraft rotary engine.
Round, yes – radial, not exactly.