2-839-606 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Charles B. Kirkham of Savona, N.Y., one of the earliest and best known airplane engine designers and builders, originally built motorcycle engines, and did casting and machining for Glenn Curtiss, whose Hammondsport factory was nearby. Between 1910 and 1912, Kirkham designed and built his own engines. From 1915 to 1919, he was Chief Engineer for the Curtiss Airplane and Motor Corporation; later founding his own company. Kirkham designed, tooled up, and built this engine in 1929. It is believed to be the first vertically-opposed air-cooled engine. It was an experimental design and was equipped with a supercharger. Although it may have been a good engine, there apparently were no suitable airplanes for its unconventional shape.