Taking back the sky
State company helps WWII-era planes fly

GUTHRIE Red dirt and golden wheat surround the shop where Steve Curry and his employees at Radial Engines Ltd. near Navina breathe life back into radial engines used on airplanes from the World War II era. The engine, whirring on its test stand, is heard from the end of the driveway.

Closer to the building, it's evident the engine is mounted to an old truck that's moved inside for engine repairs and outside for raucous engine testing. Because Curry and his employees work on engines that are more than 50 years old, being able to adapt and merge old and new is essential.

Airplane parts are scraped and scrubbed until they shine as they did when they rolled off the assembly line during World War II. Many of the engines and parts of the engines Curry repairs have either been out of use or hidden away in old buildings at airports and military bases.

Many of the parts Curry uses have come from a military bunker near Decatur, Ill., that he found a few years ago.

"At the end of the war, it all just went back into storage, Curry said. "It was like an archeological dig. There were even crates of brand new parts in there straight from the manufacturer.

What parts Curry can't find, he's making at his shop near Navina, just west of Guthrie. To make his shop certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, Curry modified the specifications of a model airplane dynamometer to build a device to measure the horsepower of the engines he and his employees repair.

"It's a hobby that got out of control, Curry said of his business. "Once I realized I could make money at it, it got pretty exciting.

Curry stumbled into the business of restoring radial engines after trading a restored 1950 Ford Coupe for a World War II biplane that came to him in pieces. Switching from cars to airplanes was simple. Radial engines and automotive engines are nearly the same. Both have pistons that turn a crankshaft. Automotive engines usually are in a V-shape or at an angle. Pistons on a radial engine are arranged in a circle.

When Curry began nearly 24 years ago, many radial engine manufacturers were getting out of the business and making way for turbine engines that still dominate the skies today.

"It created a sort of vacuum, Curry said. "And it created a window of opportunity for me to make money building engines, doing what I like to do.

At first the company started in a few small buildings behind Curry's house in Navina. Curry advertised once but was overwhelmed by the business he got, so he stopped. With the addition of several employees, Radial Engines has become the only repair center certified by the FAA to do work on these types of engines.

Radial Engines has serviced engines for clients in 16 countries and only a Mississippi company can rival in size. Curry now employs 15 people and his son, Caleb, 31, is the vice president of the company. The company also manufactures engines that are used in the WACO Classic YMF-5.

Since 1994, Radial Engines has produced more than 100 engines for WACO Classic Aircraft Corp., which makes a modern version of a biplane the company produced in 1935. The collector airplanes with one of Curry's engines sell for about $400,000, said Carl Dye, flight operations manager for the Battle Creek, Mich., company.

"They have a reputation within the industry of being the best, Dye said of Radial Engines. "They have the most knowledge. We consider them to be the best source.

The collector planes often are used worldwide for "joy flying, or for site-seeing tours by people with "a lot of disposable income, Dye said.

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