Prologue

-After finishing the 11th revision in 2005, the 2003 edition was considered completed and the same occurred with the 2006-8 edition in 2008. The latter one was replaced by the 2008-9, which included extensions that had already come with the 2006/8 edition. The 2012/13V8 edition brings together all of the above. In early 2014 the V9 (2014/15V9) version was started. In 2016 we started with the 10th version, which is still in progress and will be included in this website in Spanish and English.

-Reconsidering about this publication I was surprised at the huge number of engine brands that have been compiled: over 4,650. All this was throughout my student and professional life. Today it is harder to find new brands, although still remains browsing the Internet, which I have not done often, and the little I've seen there is nothing compared to what I have gathered during visits to official and personal files, factories, libraries, museums, periodicals, etc. For years now, the information I get only serves for contrasting it with previously obtained material. Not much new appears.

-An example of the Internet is that from "Pratt & Whitney" there only appear a quarter part of its engines we have mentioned here in this work. And there is still much dispersion of the other mentioned brands.

Also surprised, because together with the most important aviation countries like the USA, France, England, Germany, Russia, and somewhat Italy, appeared a small Central European country as Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia), that, being an industrial country, had a huge engine production with brands such as CKD, CZ, ZB, CZL, Walter, Avia, Praga, Zlin, Danek, Kolben-Danek, ZVL, Breitfeld-Danek, Orion, PSLM, Motorlet, Motokov, Povaska, Tatra, Skoda, ParmaTechnik, PBS, Zbrojovka, Omnipol, Verner, MTA, Motor Design... (See them in the text).

-This new 2016-V10 edition includes the text and the consolidated extensions from the 2003, 2006/8, 2008/9, 2012/13 and 2014/15 editions, and has grown to contain many more brands. The 10th edition is the base of this webside. Our intention is to release an English e-book version after having finished to enter all the material from the book version into the website. This will be at least some two or three years from now. (Now = Oct 2016)

-The page-adding-system will continue, because as stated in the introduction it is a "LIVING" publication that will be continually updated, which would be impossible with a final binding. Perhaps the charm of the 2003 edition is the main text's "freshness", semi improvised while writing, and with its eleven extensions.

As mentioned  this edition's "Introduction" could also be called "Prolog," "Preface" or "Prelude". What is clear, is that there will never be an "Epilog", precisely because aviation propulsion (and astronautics) has just begun. It is therefore an endless document: the 2003 edition is called by us the "15 centimeters" (6 inches) or the "7 Kilos" (15 pounds) for the thickness of its spine, or its weight. At this pace, someday it may appear in Guinness, as it is not expected to stop growing. The 2014/15 edition V9 had a spine of 26 centimeters (10.2 inches) and 12.5 Kilos (27.55 pounds) of weight.

-Each reader can add his own Din A-4 sheets with information obtained by himself. If he communicates this information to the author as well, this will benefit other readers. They will receive it included in the next appendix through their registration for this publication.

-Recently, the USAF has opened its files for an extended period ranging from shortly before WWI until 1952. These files are known as the "Sarah B.Clark Files" since this person was the one who initiated sorting out and classifying all the papers from what at first was Air Service, then Army Air Corps, later Army Air Forces and eventually USAF. She devoted 39 years to classification and management of all material concerning aircraft, engines, equipment, correspondence, contests acquisition, etc., which was all the material that was generated at McCook Field, Wright Field, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, etc. When her job was taken over they were pleasantly surprised to find the meticulous work she had done.

-Nowadays the files are distributed all over the USA under the common denominator "US National Archives II". Soon you may be able to consult "in situ" and presumably there will be a time when we will have access "online". There are already file locators like file nr 452.8 for aircraft engines. There are countless boxes full of history that is still unpublished. In this publication there is some reference as (452.8-2439). For example, this box contains original documents on Allison engines from 1942, Jacobs, Leblond, Lambert, Lycoming, etc.

-In Moscow, they are gathering aircraft engines at the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM = TsiAM) for the benefit of historians, mechanics and engineering students, and curious people in general.