Round engines? Okay for nostalgia. Lousy for a TransPacific flight.
Shake rattle and roll. Just the airframe vibration is enough to drive
you nuts after the first ten hours. And ask the mechanics who have to
maintain them. Think of changing 56 plugs in a 4350. I watched a mech
changing the prop governor on a 3350 - what a miserable installation.
One of those where just threading a mounting nut on its stud is damn
near impossible unless you wear size four gloves because the body of
the governor overhangs the mounting plate about an inch past the four
studs and with about 3/8 inch vertical clearance of those studs. And
all the cracks in the airframe from the constant vibration, inherent
in the design of the beast. A 2000 hour TBO? There are turbine engines
that have done ten times that. The engine that sends a thrill up my
spine is the J79 - 6 seconds, idle to full military. Our 104As with
the Dash 19 engines - brake release to .97Mach (760 mph @ 85F) in 43
seconds. That, my friends, was a rush, way back in 1967!
Walt BJ