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I am searching for pictures and drawings of this most unusual engine. There is only a very little on-line. There used to be an intersting post for this in the Classic Warbirds Forum which unfortunately, now seems to be defunct (what happened to this forum; did it move/re-name/ or just go extinct?).
Putnam Books (UK) also published the annual book of World Aircraft Engines 1945 --> onwards which contained more pictures. Unfortunately I no lponger have access to a copy. Does anyone?
All other technical information would be most welcome.
Thanks.
Hi "johnbr", Thanks for your reply-post. The myth of the 'Vega' prototypes is still not fully resolved. There were two prototypes not just one - could one have been transferred to England in advance of the German arrival? Much of the reportage is vague and second or third-hand with little documented corroboration. Indeed there is a persistant and disturbing lack of evidence of anything at all - including the physical engines. What happened to them? Answers wanted!!This engine was produced in 1938 by Mathis under the designation 'Vega 42 A', It was a liquid cooled 42 cylinder radial (7 banks of 6 cylinders) and during bench testing in 1939 produced 2,300 HP at 3,000 rpm. It weighed 1,280 kg. In comparison with foreign engines of the time it was very advanced, the Mathis company even succeeded in carrying out some flight tests. It was hoped to develop the Vega 42 engine until it produced 2,800 HP at 3,200 rpm.
"In 1940 Mathis and George hid the prototype from the invaders in the Pyrenees and despite a great deal of difficulty continued to carry out tests under the control of the Official Services (The Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major R.4360 of the same era, was a 28 cylinder engine of 3,000 HP, but Mathis had succeeded in building his Vega engine of 42 cylinders giving 2,300 HP before the war.). After the war a new engine of 4,600 HP was studied on the guiding principle of the Vega. But as the other engineers who had continued similar studies were to find this class of engine was superseded by turbine engines.View attachment 500135
Hi "johnbr", Thanks for your reply-post. The myth of the 'Vega' prototypes is still not fully resolved. There were two prototypes not just one - could one have been transferred to England in advance of the German arrival? Much of the reportage is vague and second or third-hand with little documented corroboration. Indeed there is a persistant and disturbing lack of evidence of anything at all - including the physical engines. What happened to them? Answers wanted!!
Sir, when are you going to publish a book?I do not know what happened to the engines, but I have made an extremely thorough survey of British records of piston aero-engine development from 1930-1946, and have seen absolutely no reference to this engine anywhere. This not definitive proof - but I would say it tends to suggest its unlikely it ended up in the UK, shipping it over would have been quite a big task and it would be extremely surprising that having organized all that, there would be no surviving technical reports on it by the Royal Aircraft Establishment or Ministry of Aircraft Production.
Sir, when are you going to publish a book?
Thanks,
JC1
On sale April 2020, through Mortons Press. I`ve been writing it for 5 years, now just about done - in the last 3months of writing it now.
If you`re interested I tend to put info on my website and horrid (but useful) places like facebook/linkedin/twitter.
https://www.calum-douglas.com
I suppose I can get away with shameless self publicity as I was asked... haha
View attachment 549473
Snowygrouch,On sale April 2020, through Mortons Press. I`ve been writing it for 5 years, now just about done - in the last 3months of writing it now.
If you`re interested I tend to put info on my website and horrid (but useful) places like facebook/linkedin/twitter.
https://www.calum-douglas.com
I suppose I can get away with shameless self publicity as I was asked... haha
View attachment 549473
Snowygrouch,
does the book also cover some unbuilt projects like two-stroke high performance concepts from Tresilian, etc?
Hi Calum,I do not know what happened to the engines, but I have made an extremely thorough survey of British records of piston aero-engine development from 1930-1946, and have seen absolutely no reference to this engine anywhere. This not definitive proof - but I would say it tends to suggest its unlikely it ended up in the UK, shipping it over would have been quite a big task and it would be extremely surprising that having organized all that, there would be no surviving technical reports on it by the Royal Aircraft Establishment or Ministry of Aircraft Production.
Hi Calum,
Of what I find most frustrating and equally intriguing about the fate of the 'Vega's' is the lack of MATHIS company documentation, not merely just the engine's themselves, i.e. Test reports, Engineering Blue-Prints, Technical Brochures, Correspondence, Financial Asset Registers, etc. .... yet a reasonable collection of black & white photographs survived. You'd think that at the very least some nostalgic employee (perhaps Emil MATHIS himself?) would have souvineered a few of the general arrangement blueprints.
.
Yes, a French engineer from Renault formula one engines in Paris emailed them several times on my behalf after I visited there, he was disappointed with the response. (My way if saying they were not interested at all that Renault F1 engines were trying to make contact with their museum..... )I think the "Advanced Daimler-Benz engine" in stores you speak about is a rotary valve model, no ?
Calum,
as you mentioned above - often heard about the fact that american aerospace and engine companies destroyed or threw away documents of their technical archives. It´s a pity and very strange.
By the way - in what price range will your book be?
That's set by the publisher, and I have no control of it. But I expect from early discussions that it will be under £40 GBP. Which is basically an astonishing bargain.