From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter from Delco Aviation Corporation to Cadillac Motor Car Company regarding the history and use of battery ignition on aircraft engines.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 170\2\ img095 | |
| Date | 22th August 1931 | |
| COPY DELCO AVIATION CORPORATION Dayton, Ohio. August 22, 1931. Mr. Maurice Olley Cadillac Motor Car Company Detroit, Michigan. Dear Mr. Olley: We want to thank you for thinking of us in regard to the inquiry from Mr. Hives from the Rolls Royce Company regarding the lack of use of battery ignition on aircraft engines. During the world war, at the time Liberty engines were designed, there were no satisfactory magnetos available in the United States and there were in addition no magneto factories in the States capable of the quantity production necessary. For that reason the Government requested Delco to design a battery ignition for use with the Liberty engines and that gave Delco almost universal application in aircraft. Following the war there were a large quantity of Liberty engines in storage and the outlook of the aircraft industry at that time was so uncertain that the Delco organization did not feel it would be justified in continuing a large development program to fit in with the constantly changing ideas on engines as the small production would not carry any such development charge. When the Delco Aviation was formed, it was manufacturing the same original Liberty equipment for the Soviet Government in large quantities, but we had to start from scratch to bring out a line of battery ignition equipment suited to the requirements of the modern aircraft engines. This we feel we have accomplished, and we have been working quite actively both with the Army and the leading engine manufacturers, feeling as Mr. Hives, that with the adoption of generators and batteries in almost all aircraft, battery ignition will be in demand. With a generator and battery available on the plane as regular equipment, the battery ignition will show a decided saving in weight and cost as well as giving at least equivalent performance to the engine. It might be of interest to Mr. Hives, if he has not already learned the fact, that we have sold the Fiat company three sets of ignition and the Renault two sets of ignition for the Snyder Cup engines, this business coming to us entirely unsolicited. We are also enclosing several of our catalogues and would ask that you send one or two of them to Mr. Hives showing what our present battery ignition covers. Yours very truly, DELCO AVIATION CORPORATION (Signed) W. P. Loudon President and General Manager WPL/G | ||