Little is known about the Miniature Aircraft Corporation of New York. In 1931, owner Ken Pouch advertised a compressed air four-cylinder radial engine (named “Special”) made from aluminum alloy with brass heads. He also introduced a six- and eight-cylinder compressed air radial in the same year.

By 1937, he produced two small single-cylinder gas model airplane engines named the Whirlwind and Whirlwind Jr.; however, no known examples exist. It appears that 1940 was his last year in business with two more single-cylinder engines he dubbed the Gas Motor and Midget.

Tim Dannels noted in his American Model Engine Encyclopedia, “One can only speculate how this radial came into being. Perhaps they decided to stop trying to produce a line of engines and those parts were left over or were never intended for production; maybe it was just a lark by whoever was in charge of the project.”

A rear view of the 5-cylinder radial airplane engine.

Exhibit added: October 1, 2011 - Last modified: March 25, 2023

Presented by The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship