Kinner B-5

The Kinner B-5 was a popular five cylinder American radial engine for light general and sport aircraft of the 1930s.

B-5
A Kinner B-5 on display at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York, as used in their Fleet Finch biplane.
Type	Radial engine
Manufacturer	Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation
Developed from	Kinner K-5
Developed into	Kinner R-5

Design and development

The B-5 was a development of the earlier K-5 with slightly greater power and dimensions. The main change was the increase in cylinder bore from 108 mm (4.25 in) to 117 mm (4.625 in) and a corresponding increase in displacement from 372 cu in (6.1 liters ) to 441 cu in (7.2 liters ). One difference the B-5 had from radial engines of other manufacturers was that each individual cylinder had its own camshaft, a system also used by the contemporary Soviet-built, 8.6 litre-displacement Shvetsov M-11 five cylinder radial, while most other radial engine designs used a "cam ring" for the same purpose, connected to every cylinder's valves. The B-5 was a rough running but reliable engine. The B-5 and its derivatives were produced in the thousands, powering many World War II trainer aircraft; its military designation was R-440. The B-5 was followed by the R-5 and R-55.

Applications

• Fleet Fawn
• Fleet Finch
• Kinner Sportster
• Kinner Sportwing
• Lincoln AP
• Monocoupe 125
• Redfern DH-2
• Ryan PT-22 Recruit
• Savoia-Marchetti S.56

Specifications (Kinner B-5)

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1938^[1]

General characteristics

• Type: Five-cylinder, air-cooled, radial
• Bore: 4.625 in (117.5 mm)
• Stroke: 5.25 in (133 mm)
• Displacement: 441 cu in (7.23 L)
• Length: 32.325 in (821.1 mm)
• Diameter: 45.375 in (1,152.5 mm)
• Dry weight: 295 lb (134 kg)

Components

• Valvetrain: 1 Inlet and 1 Exhaust valve per cylinder, individual camshafts for each cylinder
• Fuel system: 1x Holley or Stromberg Carburetor
• Fuel type: 73 Octane
• Oil system: Circulating dry sump system
• Cooling system: Air-cooled

Performance

• Power output: 125 hp (93 kW) at 1,925 rpm max; 89 hp (66 kW) at 1,725 rpm cruise
• Compression ratio: 5.25:1
• Specific fuel consumption: 0.60 lb/hp hr (0.365 kg/kw hr)
• Oil consumption: 0.025 lb/hp hr (0.0152 kg/kw hr)
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.42 hp/lb at cruise

See also

Related development

• Kinner K-5
• Kinner R-5

Comparable engines

• Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major
• Shvetsov M-11

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines