Steam & Engine of Australia

The "Wing" Gauge & Instrument Co.produced the 'Pilot' and 'Wing' engines in Melbourne in the 1950s. They were 4 stoke engines of 2 hp, forced draught, air cooled and were all alloy/aluminium construction. The company utilised car components (ie: pistons) as much as possible. Engines used a Lucas RS1 magneto and had an original design layout. Although basically identical, the 'Pilot' engines were designated for marine use while the 'Wing' engines were for non marine applications.The engines differ only in the casting on the head shroud (one shows the word 'Pilot' and the other 'Wing'). However, there were two versions of each engine made - a throttle governed and a speed governed version. Although the engines were made of aluminium, many surviving examples show signs of having being painted in a light grey-cream colour similar to that used in many naval applications. (A paint sample is to be analysed and the contemporary colour match code will be added to these pages.)
	Engine Information Cubic Capacity: 188 c.c. Max. Brake Horsepower: 2 1/2 h.p. at 2,600 r.p.m. (normal running, 2 h.p. at 1,900 r.p.m.) Ignition:. Magneto Cooling: Forced draught air Weight: 60 lbs. gross Rotation: Anti-clockwise Type: Four cycle, governor or hand throttle Construction: Light durable high tensile alloy (resistant to salt water corrosion).
The "WING" GAUGE & INSTRUMENT CO. was located at 322 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Victoria. Sales of 'Pilot' and 'Wing' engines were handled by the firm of R. B. CHURCHLEY PTY. LTD., Sales Representatives, 175 William Street, Melbourne. An advertising brochure from the company states that "The 'Pilot' engine makes a fine marine unit. Its weight and economical running make it an ideal dinghy unit, as as the engine can be removed from a dinghy in a matter of seconds the comfort and convenience of an inboard motor with the removability of an outboard motor is thus obtained." The brochure notes that "Fuel consumption in a 12 ft. sea dinghy is approximately 9 hours per gallon." The company emphasised the versatility of the engines in their advertising, stating that "For farm, orchard and country, the "Pilot" has many applications, pumps, separators, milking plants, grain crushers and lighting plants to name but a few.". Amongst other uses, 'Wing' engines were also fitted to dragsaws made in Ballarat, Victoria and grain augers in NSW.
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS. Bore and Stroke, 2.2" x 3". Normal Running Speeds, 2000-3000 R.P.M. CASTINGS. High-grade corrosive-resistant aluminium alloy. Flywheel first quality cast iron. BEARINGS. Finest quality heavy duty ball bearings. CRANKSHAFT. High tensile steel, heat treated and precision ground for accuracy. CAMSHAFT. High tensile steel, hardened and tempered and precision ground for accuracy. Cam lobes are ground to ensure perfect timing. CONNECTING ROD. Solid phosphor bronze. PISTON. Alloy piston, car type.	VALVES. Car type. Heat treated and ground. CYLINDER. Internal surface of first grade iron honed to micro-measurements and mirror finish. LUBRICATION. * Splash feed. Simple and thorough. COOLING. Forced draught air cooled from flywheel fan. CARBURETTOR. Car type. IGNITION. Magneto, Lucas all-enclosed model with ignition switch terminal. SPARK PLUG. The spark gap recommended is from .020"-.025", and should be maintained.
	IGNITION TIMING. Plug should fire O-1/16" before piston reaches top dead centre on the-compression stroke. To adjust timing, loosen the two bolts on the magneto coupling. Rotate magneto in the required direction and tighten bolts. TAPPET CLEARANCE. In the 2 H.P. "Pilot" the gap between the valve stem and tappet should be .002"-.004" for both inlet and exhaust valves when the engine is COLD. This is important. SPEED ADJUSTMENT The engine gives its best performance when running between 2200-2600 R.P.M., but it is possible to adjust speeds satisfactorily between 2000-3000 R.P.M. These limits, however, should not be exceeded.
*The "WING" Register* The "WING" Register has been set up to record the details of all 'Pilot' and 'Wing' engines. If you would like to add your engine(s) to the register, please contact Mark Kennedy with the following information: Owner's name & contact details Type of engine owned ('Pilot' or 'Wing') Throttle governed or speed governed Condition of engine Special features/history (if known).
Material adapted from "THE 'PILOT' ENGINE INSTRUCTION MANUAL". This page was prepared by Mark Kennedy
Last updated on 09/06/1999

"Wing" Gauge & Instrument Co.

The "WING" Register