2-839-581 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

In 1932, the Army contracted with Continental for development of a cylinder with high specific power. Using the resulting Hyper No. 1 cylinder, the Air Corps instructed Continental in 1934 to develop what became the horizontally opposed O-1430 to be buried in the wings of large aircraft to improve streamlining for higher speed. However, by this time, the Air Corps decided that 746 kW (1,000 hp) engines were obsolete for bombers, and that fighter wings were too thin for a submerged installation. By 1939, the Air Corps decided that an inverted vee was needed for improved visibility, and instructed Continental to drop the 0-1430 and begin work on the inverted I-1430. Following development problems, it was decided in 1943 that the engine could not possibly be used in the war, and only eight engines were built for experimental use. This Continental I-1430-11 was test flown in a modified Lockheed P-38 testbed aircraft.