Alan Ingersol (left) accepts his award and a check for $1000 from Robert Washburn, publisher of Strictly I.C. Magazine. Mr. Washburn helped select the 1998 winner from among the best builders of small internal combustion engines in the United States. Mr. Washburn made the presentation on behalf of the Martin Foundation on April 26, 1998 at the NAMES show in Wyandotte, Michigan.
Mr. Alan Ingersol of San Mateo, California was selected as the second recipient of the Joe Martin Foundation's top award. For 1998, Joe Martin asked Mr. Robert Washburn and the staff at Strictly I.C. magazine to select a nominee from among those who had come to his attention over the years in dealing with builders of small internal combustion engines. The selection criteria sought a person who had contributed a considerable amount off material and whose craftsmanship was of uncompromising quality. In addition, the size of the projects build should be at the small to miniature size of the building scale. Not to be judged as a "popularity contest", the winner should be one that everyone could agree produced work that was head and shoulders above all the rest when it came to craftsmanship. Upon seeing photos of Mr. Ingersoll's Curtiss biplane project, Joe Martin agreed that Mr. Ingersoll was indeed the proper nominee for the 1998 award.
Shown below are some photos of one of Mr. Ingersoll's projects. The Curtiss biplane project spanned over twelve years and is now on display in the Hiller Aircraft Museum in California. The model includes a running V-12 model engine that is just 9" long.
This Curtiss Wright P 6E biplane model is built to 1/6 scale and includes a complete V-12 engine. The airframe is modeled in stainless steel tubing exactly like the original. The project was built from scratch over a 12-year period and is typical of the work of master modeler Alan Ingersoll.
The model V-12 Curtiss D-12D engine above is a masterpiece requiring knowledge and skill in many areas from machining to cam grinding. No castings were use. Each piece was machined from solid stock. Mr. Ingersol designed and built his own machinery to grind the cam. Shown above is the crankshaft in place in the engine block. At the top is the oil pan.
The completed engine removed from the biplane was displayed at the NAMES show in Michigan. The bore is .80" and the stroke is 1.062". The engine is only 9" long and weighs 6.5 pounds. The twelve cylinders displace 6.46 cubic inches.
The Joe Martin Foundation would like to thank Mr. Rober Washburn for his time and research in nominaating Mr. Ingersoll for selection. In addition, thanks go to Dr. Robert Kradjian for helping Mr. Ingersoll get to the show. "Dr. Bob" is a long-time friend and admirer of Mr. Ingersoll's work and has obviously learned much from watching and listening to him. The model he built and entered in Strictly I.C.s engine-building contest won "Best in Show" honors at the Michigan show.
© 2000, The Joe Martin Foundation