In the 1930’s Amherst Villiers(renowned for racing car engine development and later a ATA pilot) and a Thomas Hay formed ‘Villiers Hay Developments’ to design and build aircraft engines of 120/130hp for civil use.
One of these 4 cylinder engines named Maya was fitted to a Miles M11B Whitney Straight G-AERC and another to a BA manufacturing Co aircraft.
In performance it was said to beat the Gipsy Major, being lighter and having a TBO of 1000hrs. Unfortunately the market was flooded with other engines of similar output and with WW2 looming the project was killed off.
Do any of these engines survive?
And what was the BA aircraft that had one fitted?
Richard
By: bazv - 27th December 2009 at 08:52
photo and discription of engine here…
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201018.html
edit…more on P428
Reading the pages is also reminiscent of old cars and motorbikes,Hepworth (Hepolite) pistons etc and Anal pumps and carbs etc 😀
By: Consul - 26th December 2009 at 23:17
The Maya engine was first flown in a BA Eagle in 1936.
Tim
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th December 2009 at 21:39
Richard,
Paul Kenny only mentions the M11B in his biography of Amherst Villiers; “The Man Who Supercharged Bond”, nothing about installation in other airframes . Paul is a member of this forum so you may well get more info. from him.
Cheers
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December 26, 2009 at 8:46 pm