Licenses for production of Le Rhône series engines were negotiated with companies in Great Britain, Austria, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Germany.
[1][2] As with all rotary engines, the crankshaft of the Rhône remained stationary in operation, with the entire crankcase and its attached cylinders rotating around it as a unit.
[3] The use of a carburetor allowed the Rhône series engines to be throttled during flight, which greatly reduced fuel and lube oil consumption.
The master rod was of a split type, which employed three concentric grooves, designed to accept slipper bearings from the other cylinders.
This feature required the cam followers to incorporate a positive action, a function designed in by using a combination of links and levers.
In 1911, Verdet joined Edouard Martin, an engineer and racing driver, and other partners to form the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris.
[1] From 1911 to 1913 the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône produced a series of seven rotary engines which won many endurance trophies.
In 1915 around 45% of all Le Rhône engines manufactured in France were exported to Great Britain, Italy and Russia.
Several enthusiasts are using original Le Rhône engines for World War I replica aircraft today.
There are other reproductions of Dr 1's flying original Le Rhône engines, as well as the restored Thomas Morse Scouts in the United States.