View Full Version : More than 4 engines
Tim Zukas
9th Dec 2002, 01:22
What airliners carrying revenue passengers have been powered by more than four engines?
Aside from the Graf Zeppelin (dunno whether that counts as an "airliner") I can only think of one. APUs don't count of course.
Whispering Giant
9th Dec 2002, 04:02
I beleive there was a Dornier piston engine airline called the Dornier X - that had a total of 8 engines in push - pull configaration. It was built in the late 1920's,, and could only manage to climb to about 1500-2000 ft to cruise - but it did complete an around world tour.
henry crun
9th Dec 2002, 07:25
A minor correction to the last post.
The Dornier X had 12 engines, 6 pairs in a push/pull configuration.
Squealing Pig
9th Dec 2002, 08:37
Neither aircraft ever carried pax, but still very interesting aircraft
Antonov have a 6 eng freighter,An-225 Mriya (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/274903/M/)
The old Bristol Brabazon, abandond before line production
http://users.chariot.net.au/~theburfs/unrealimg/Rbrabaz_frtr.jpg
http://users.chariot.net.au/~theburfs/unrealimg/Rbrabaz_eng.jpg
8 engines in pairs driving contrarotating props
SP
Saunders Roe Princess had 10 Proteous engines. Two paired engines driving contra-rotating props on the inner and mid positions. Outer engines were single units. It was never a revunue earner though.
seacue
9th Dec 2002, 21:49
The Tupolev ANT-14 had 5 engines, but only one example was built.
http://avia.russian.ee/air/russia/ant-14.html
Never used in airline service.
The Ju-390 was a military transport, etc. with 6 engines. Only two prototypes built.
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ju390.html
Bob Carpenter
OldBonaMate
9th Dec 2002, 23:38
Convair XC99. Only one example built. Based on the B36 but without the 4 podded jet engines. It did however have 6 x 3500hp engines in the pusher configuration and could carry up to 400 troops. It did fly and remained in service until 1957 but I don't know if it did actually carry any significant pax load.
Hughes HK-1 (or H-4) "Spruce Goose", 8 engines - did fly once, but no pax carried I suspect.
The Tupolev Maxim Gorky" ANT-20 was possibly the first airplane specifically designed as a government propaganda tool, and the largest airplane in the world at the time. The ANT-20 (wingspan 207 feet, length 108 ft) carried a crew of eight plus 72 passengers.
In addition, the Maksim Gorkii was equipped with a film projection room, a photo lab, a 16-line telephone exchange, four radio transmitters, a printing press, a pneumatic tube mail distribution system, propaganda leaflet dispensers, loudspeakers to blare speeches and recordings to persons on the ground, and an incandescent light-matrix under the wings capable of displaying animated Stalinist slogans.
The first aircraft crashed on a demonstration flight, killing 23 crew and 40 passengers, when a fighter pilot (trying to loop around the wing) crashed into it. The crash and loss of life prompted an American newspaper to write a leader saying that aircraft had got to big and that such a large number of deaths in one accident were unacceptable to the public. A further 16 were built and went into service with Aeroflot.
http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/ant-20-1.jpg
http://www.ufx.org/images/ant-20.jpg
It was later upgraded to/replaced by the ANT=20bis where the two dorsal engines were removed as the 6 wing engines were replaced with more powerful variants.
Shaggy Sheep Driver
10th Dec 2002, 11:15
Was it Lord Hives of Rolls Royce who when asked why he always travelled on 4-engined airliners replied "because there are no 5-engined airliners"?
SSD
henry crun
10th Dec 2002, 19:20
SSD, I have also heard that story attributed to Lord Hives.
On another occasion he was being briefed for the first time by Frank Whittle on his jet engine not long before RR took over the project.
Several times Whittle took some care to explain the simplicity of his engine and Hives said "don't worry, my engineers will soon design the simplicity out of it". :)
Volume
12th Dec 2002, 06:24
Some more WWII planes with more than 4 engines :
Me 323 (http://avions.legendaires.free.fr/me323.php)
and
HE 111 Z (http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/he111z.html)
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/he111z-4.jpg
The Heinkel was used for aerotowing the glider version of the Messerschmitt, probably a very interesting thing to try.
I would be verry interested in flutter testing the double fuselage Heinkel !
seacue
12th Dec 2002, 11:30
This one isn't exactly in passenger service - not even having an on-board pilot ;-)) But it does have 14 motors, carries no fuel, and has flown to at least 76,000 ft altitude.
http://starbulletin.com/2001/05/18/news/story12.html