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Aviation

                               1909
Does the first solo flight across the English Channel have a Chevrolet connection?

Edouard Alfred Chevrolet was the oldest of the Chevrolet Brothers, and the only family member not to immigrate to the U.S.  According to historian Jacques Chevalley, Alfred worked for famed French aviator Louis Blériot in 1908.

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway) 

Bleriot Factory

July 25, 1909  Louis Blériot becomes

the first person to fly solo across the English Channel.  Did Alfred Chevrolet have a role in this historic flight?  Reports indicate that Blériot's personal archive was destroyed in 1940.

(Artcurial) 

Alfred Chevrolet - Aviation Patent

March 25, 1910 - Artenay, France

Alfred Chevrolet is awarded an aviation patent for a flight control stick.  This document suggests that Alfred may have had a significant role in Louis Blériot's aircraft ventures.

(Birmingham Free Library)

Bleriot Crosses the Channel

July 1909 - Cliffs Near Dover Castle

Triumph of Aviation

Louis Blériot Crossing the Channel

(Christie's Auction House - London)

                                1927
Chevrolet Brothers Manufacturing Co., Inc.
  Single Overhead Cam Aviation Engine

July 1927 - Indianapolis, Indiana

SOHC Aircraft Engine

being assembled in Chevrolet's Shop

(Indianapolis News)

August 1927 - Moundsville, WV

Chevrolet Brothers SOHC Engine

installed in Lone Eagle Aircraft

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

August 1927 - Moundsville, WV

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Chevrolet Brothers SOHC Engine

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

August 1927 - Moundsville, WV

Charles Lindbergh inspects engine of the Lone Eagle Aircraft

(Smithsonian Institute)

August 1927 - Moundsville, WV

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Charles Lindbergh inspecting engine

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Today - Moundsville, WV

Historical Marker

Lindbergh's 1927 Tour of America

(pnoman -AdvRider.com)

                             1928
Chevrolet Brothers Manufacting Co., Inc.
                DOHC Aviation Engine
              Arthur Chevrolet Design

Fall 1928 - Indianapolis, Indiana

DOHC Aircraft Engine

Chevrolet Bros. Mfg Co., Inc.

(Aero Digest)

Fall 1928 - Indianapolis, Indiana

DOHC Aircraft Engine

Chevrolet Bros. Mfg Co., Inc.

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Sept 1928 - Indianapolis, Indiana

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Chevrolet DOHC Engine

(Indianapolis Star)

October 1928 - Moundsville, WV

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Chevrolet DOHC Engine

(Aero Digest)

October 1928 - Moundsville, WV

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Chevrolet DOHC Engine

(Smithsonian Institute)

October 1928 - Moundsville, WV

Lone Eagle Aircraft

Chevrolet DOHC Engine

(Tom Heitzman Collection)

                            1929
         Chevolair Aircraft Corporation
       Inverted 4-Cylinder Aero Engine
                Stagger Valve Design

Summer/Fall 1929 - Indianapolis, IN

4-Cylinder DOHC Aviation Engine

Stagger Valve Design - Arthur Chevrolet

(Chevolair Catalog)

Summer/Fall 1929 - Indianapolis, Stagger Valve Design - Arthur Chevrolet

4-Cylinder DOHC Aircraft Engine

(Chevolair Advertisement)

Summer/Fall 1929 - Indianapolis, IN

4-Cylinder DOHC Aviation Engine

Stagger Valve Design - Arthur Chevrolet

(Chevolair Catalog)

August 1929 - Washington, DC

Government Test of Chevolair Engine 

Arthur Chevrolet (right)

(Washington Evening Star)

January 1930 - Louisville, Kentucky

Travel Air Biplane with Chevolair Mill 

Arthur Chevrolet (standing on right)

(Louisville Courier-Journal)

January 1930 - Louisville, Kentucky

Travel Air Biplane 

Close up view of Chevolair Engine

(Louisville Courier-Journal)

                            1929
         Chevolair Aircraft Corporation
                 Inverted 6-Cylinder
           Stagger Valve Aero Engine

Summer/Fall 1929 - Indianapolis, IN

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine 

Stagger Valve Design - Arthur Chevrolet

(National Air & Space Museum)

November 1929 - Indianapolis, IN

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine 

Stagger Valve Design - Arthur Chevrolet

(Aero Digest)

Summer 1929 - Cleveland, Ohio

Travel Air Mystery Ship

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine

(Kenneth Wilson Collection)

Summer 1929 - Cleveland, Ohio

Travel Air Mystery Ship 

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine

(Kenneth Wilson Collection)

Summer 1929 - Cleveland, Ohio

Travel Air Mystery Ship 

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine

(Aero Digest)

Summer 1929 - Cleveland, Ohio

Travel Air Mystery Ship

6-Cylinder Chevolair Engine 

(Peter Bowers Collection)

                       1930 to 1931
         Chevrolet Aircraft Corporation
              Louis Chevrolet Design
      Inverted 4-Cylinder Aero Engine

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

333 CID Inverted Engine with Air Scoop

Louis Chevrolet Design

(Zenith Carburetor Newsletter)

Today - Washington, DC

333 CID Inverted Engine (Survivor)

Louis Chevrolet Design

(National Air & Space Museum)

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

333 CID Engine with Flat Cam Cover 

Louis Chevrolet Design

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

                       1928 to 1931
         Chevrolet Aircraft Corporation
            Louis Chevrolet Designed
             Straight 6 & V-8 Engines

1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

6-Cylinder 500 CID Inverted Engine

Louis Chevrolet Design

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

6-Cylinder 500 CID Inverted Engine

Louis Chevrolet Design

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

Inverted Engine in V-8 Configuration

Louis Chevrolet Design

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

       1929 Doyle Oriole Aircraft
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

1929 - Baltimore, Maryland

Doyle Oriole Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Dan Shumaker Collection)

1936 - Location Unknown

Doyle Oriole Airplane

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(American Aviation Historical Society)

1936 - Location Unknown

Doyle Oriole with Chevrolet 333 Engine

Pilot - Zip Franklin

(Franklin Family Collection)

1929 - Baltimore, Maryland

Doyle Oriole with Chevrolet 333 Engine

Pilot Gene Foster & Louis Chevrolet

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

           1930 Waco ENF Aircraft
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

Waco ENF Airplane

(Aviation Engineering)

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

Waco ENF Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(National Waco Club)

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

Waco ENF Airplane

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Aviation Engineering)

1930 - Baltimore, Maryland

Waco ENF Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Aviation Engineering)

1930 - Indianapolis, Indiana

Waco ENF Airplane

E.C. Burghduff & Suzanne Chevrolet

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Circa 1930's - Baltimore, Maryland

Waco ENF Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(National Waco Club)

       1930 Granville Brothers
            Gee Bee - Model A
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

1930 - Springfield, Massachusetts

Gee Bee Model A Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Aeronautical Industries)

Springfield Air Races.jpg

1930 - Springfield, Massachusetts

Official Program

New England Air Tour

(National Air and Space Museum)

               1930 Elmer Yates
                    Yates Stiper
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

1930 - Beaverton, Oregon

Yates Stiper Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Beaverton Public Library)

1930 - Beaverton, Oregon

Elmer Yates with Stiper Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Beaverton Public Library)

1930 - Beaverton, Oregon

Yates Stiper Aircraft

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(AeroFiles.com)

       1931 Pitcairn Aircraft Corp
                PAA-2 Autogiro
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

February 1931 - Willow Grove, PA

Pitcairn Model PAA-2 Autogiro

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Pitcairn Archives)

Spring 1931 - Willow Grove, PA

Pitcairn Model PAA-2 Autogiro

Chevrolet 333 Inverted Engine

(Pitcairn Archives)

Spring 1931 - Willow Grove, PA

6 Pitcairn Autogiros in Flight

PAA-2 at top (with tricycle landing gear)

(Fortune Magazine)

           1931 Charles H. Day
               Errant Aircraft
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine
          Round the World Trip

Spring 1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

Errant Aircraft with Chevrolet 333 Mill

(Smithsonian Institute)

Spring 1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

Errant Aircraft with Chevrolet 333 Mill

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

(Smithsonian Institute)

Spring 1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

Errant Aircraft with Chevrolet 333 Mill

(Smithsonian Institute)

Spring 1931 - Baltimore, Maryland

Errant Aircraft with Chevrolet 333 Mill

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

(Smithsonian Institute)

Errant aircraft in England 1931

June 1931 - Hestonfair Park, England

Mr. & Mrs. Day prepare Errant aircraft

for European leg of their journey

(The Ottawa Citizen)

1931 Errant Aircraft

July 1931 - Berlin, Germany

Mr. & Mrs. Day are photographed at the

Berlin Airport with Errant Aircraft

(Pottsville Republican)

Summer 1931 - Round the World Trip

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

Errant Aircraft with Chevrolet 333 Mill

(Smithsonian Institute)

September 1931 - Calcutta, India

Flight Flown Cover from global trip

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day

(Smithsonian Institute)

Charles Day with Chevrolet powered Errant airplane

December 1931 - Newark, New Jersey

Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Day finish

their round the world adventure

(New York Daily News)

              1931 Chevrolet/Martin
             333 CID Inverted Engine
    Redesigned Engineering Prototype

Summer/Fall 1931 - Baltimore, Md

Prototype 333 CID Inverted Engine

Note exhaust exits from side of cylinder

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Summer/Fall 1931 - Baltimore, Md

Prototype 333 CID Inverted Engine

Note unique intake manifold design

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Summer/Fall 1931 - Baltimore, Md

Prototype 333 CID Inverted Engine

Note mounting bosses on crankcase

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

      1933 Cornelius Free Wing
                 Equipped With
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

Circa 1933 - Los Angeles, California 

Cornelius Free Wing

Chevrolet/Martin 333 Inverted Engine

(Popular Aviation)

1-30-34 - Los Angeles, California 

Cornelius Free Wing

Chevrolet/Martin 333 Inverted Engine

(Stanford Daily)

June 1934 - Los Angeles, California 

Cornelius Free Wing

Chevrolet/Martin 333 Inverted Engine

(Popular Aviation)

Circa 1934 - Los Angeles, California 

Cornelius Free Wing

Chevrolet/Martin 333 Inverted Engine

(Dan Shumaker Collection)

10-31-34 - Los Angeles, California 

George Cornelius writes Martin Co.,

Praises performance of 333 engine

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Circa 1934 - Los Angeles, California 

Cornelius Free Wing

Chevrolet/Martin 333 Inverted Engine

(Frank Rezich/Aerofiles.com)

      1937 Martin Tadpole Clipper
                     Seaplane
Chevrolet 333 CID Inverted Engine

1937 - Baltimore, Maryland 

Glenn L. Martin Co. - Tadpole Clipper

333 Engine Mounted in Fuselage

(GLM Maryland Museum of Aviation)

1937 - Baltimore, Maryland 

Glenn L. Martin Co. - Tadpole Clipper

333 Engine Mounted in Fuselage

(GLM Maryland Museum of Aviation)

1937 - Baltimore, Maryland 

Glenn L. Martin Co. - Tadpole Clipper

333 Engine Mounted in Fuselage

(GLM Maryland Museum of Aviation)

     Restored Chevrolet/Martin 333 Engine
Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum
Louis Chevrolet 333 Engine

Today - Baltimore, Maryland 

333 mill has magnesium crankcase

barrel, and splined propeller shaft 

(Billy Dunbar Photo)

Restored Chevrolet/Martin 333 Engine

Today - Baltimore, Maryland 

Restored Chevrolet/Martin 333 engine,

serial number 96, at the GLM Museum

(Stan Piet Photo)

Louis Chevrolet 333 Airplane Engine

Today - Baltimore, Maryland 

Magnesium timing chain cover, note

oil pump assembly at the bottom

(Billy Dunbar Photo)

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