The Wasp Major was Pratt & Whitney’s last big piston engine. Although four rows in the radial configuration seems a cooling problem, the Wasp Major was effectively cooled by staggering each of its rows of seven cylinders. Although reliable in flight, the engine required extensive and time consuming checks at startup and shutdown.
Beginning in 1941, the gigantic Convair B-36 strategic bomber was likely planned around this engine, which used six R-4360s along with four turbojets. The Wasp Major saw service at the end of World War II in late Boeing B-29s that were actually early B-50s, and powered the Boeing B-50 "Lucky Lady" when it made the first non-stop around the world flight from Fort Worth, Texas, in 1949.
Other principal applications were in the Douglas C-124 Globemaster and the civilian Boeing Stratocruiser, derived from the B-50.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Approximate (Weight on Stand): 1873.4kg (4130lb.)
Depth 167.6 cm (66 in.), Length 247.7 cm (97.5 in.), Width 145.4 cm (57.25 in.)
Steel, Aluminum, Paint, Rubber, Copper, Brass, Wood
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.
National Air and Space Museum
6th St. and Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20560
Open daily
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
703-572-4118
Open daily
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
