Photograph
Sierra BLW-2 Aircraft with Comet 7-RA Engine
| Left side profile view of a Comet 7-RA air-cooled radial piston engine and a wooden Westinghouse Micarta propeller on a Sierra BLW-2 aircraft. A design of the Comet Engine Corporation in 1928, the 7-RA engine was manufactured on a Gisholt turret lathe in Madison, Wisconsin, and briefly used on the Sierra line in 1929. Manufactured by Sierra Aircraft Industries which was established in 1928, this BLW-2 was intended for a new aviation school and air-taxi-service based in San Leandro and Modesto, California; the aircraft company ended operations in 1930. The BLW-2 measured 25 ft. 8 in. in length, had a 36 ft. wingspan, and was powered by a 7-RA Comet engine running at 130 hp and 1825 rpm. Gisholt Machine Company purchased the Comet Engine Corporation in 1929, and moved the Comet factory from Oakland, California to Madison, Wisconsin. The plane, with registration number X7713, is parked on a landing strip at the Oakland air field. Decal text on the nose reads: "Powered with Comet Aviator Motor" and on the tail, "Sierra Aircraft Industries, San Leandro, Calif. Type B.L.W. 2." |
| Image ID: | 132989 |
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| Creation Date: | 07 22 1929 |
| Creator Name: | Unknown |
| City: | Oakland |
| County: | |
| State: | California |
| Collection Name: | Gisholt Machine Company negatives and photographs, circa 1900-circa 1960 (bulk circa 1910-circa 1930) |
| Genre: | Photograph |
| Original Format Type: | negative, original |
| Original Format Number: | PH 7114 Box 2, Sleeve 4 |
| Original Dimensions: | 10 x 8 inches |
| This image is one of forty-nine photographs in this Gisholt Machine Company collection documenting the Comet Engine Corporation, and it is one of three photographs in the collection of the Sierra BLW-2 X7713. |
| Aircraft industry |
| Aircraft supplies industry |
| Outdoor photography |
| Signs and symbols |
| Airplane engines |
| Airplanes |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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