Fernand Forest was a pioneer and promoter in the early days of gasoline engines.

-He was a genius, worker, of great courage and inventor of solutions in engines, between 1881 and 1903.

-In 1887 he patented a light engine with magneto ignition and heating in the carburetor. He installed these engines in canoes, and in 1888 he installed one on Gaston Tissandier's airship.

-His engine was still lighter working with gas and fuel oil, it was a radial and surprising because it had 32 cylinders in four rows of eight, with its master rods, etc. as they were called later.

-Certainly, it would be an amazing engine. (Author's note: this text, announcing the 32-cylinder engine, is as it appears in an article by Les Ailes).

"Fernand Forest"

-He made decisive inventions constantly improving the cycle discovered by Beau de Rochas (4 stroke), giving more and more performance.

-In 1888, he presented a 4-cylinder engine conceived and made by himself.

-As an epitaph in the same article of the Les Ailes magazine, it was said: "He died poor, but he enriched the world".

-The below photograph appeared in the magazine "Torquemeter" of the Aircraft Engine Historical Society, attributed to Forest.

"Posible Forest aero engine"

-According to the text, such an application is doubtful, but in the Bodemer guide, it is included among the significant pre WWI engines.

From Appendix 6: For one of Gaston Tissandier's dirigibles, he made to order an extraordinary engine for the time because it was already in 1888.

-The engine that Forest proposed, was a four-row radial rotary with eight cylinders in each row. That is a total of 32 cylinders.

-A model of this engine was kept at the Conservatory of Arts et Méteries (Arts and Crafts Museum) in Paris. I could not locate it in my last visit.

-According to a raport issued by Forest himself, he assigned 4 CV per cylinder or a total of 128 CV. It was air cooled without water.

“Forest 32-cylinder engine”

-According to Forest himself, it was going to be the solution for future aviation engines due to its effort distribution, and greater powers obtained than the engines of the time.

-Forest was mainly dedicated to the development of marine multiple-cylinder engines: 18, 20 and 24 cylinders.

-The Forest engine is considered the first rotary engine designed in France, with 8 offset cylinders radially in 4 rows. Total 32 cylinders, which is paradoxical for the time.

"Forest's rotary engine"

This drawing allows to appreciate the details, and more, its verisimilitude and realization possibilities.

From Appendix 9: Another view of the air-cooled, 3-cylinder, Forest engine with automatic valves.

"Forest 3-cylinder inline"