Mike Stone's delightful Goose has intricate detail of engine nacelle exhaust pipes that seem to sprout from three places, I assume gathering exhaust from the several cylinders, but then seems to exhaust the gases to the front, just behind the props. That would seem to guarantee a high level of back pressure, and I thought that would be a sure way to lose power. Do you Mike, are anyone else, know the thinking behind this design. All other radials that I know of vent to the rear.

I'm really not sure, as I'm not an expert on the Goose by any means. But I did do a lot of research prior to starting the project. I believe what you are referring to on top of the cowlings are air intakes and not exausts and the tube that looks like a muffler is an air cleaner or a trap to keep salt spray out of the engines. (scratching my head here). This seems reasonable as I encountered quite a few photos of Gooses with those pipes painted, which would obviously not last long on an exhaust system.Mike Stone

Thanks, Mike. That makes a lot of sense. Now, where might the exhaust stacks be?? This plane flies like a dream. Thanks again.

Right you are, it's the air intake/cleaner. (seen quite well here:

Lizardo, Brialliant catch. Saved the photo and expanded it as much as possible, and certainly looks as if the larger ducts are clamped to an intake manifold. But I still can't see any exhaust piping, and I wonder if the hot exhausts also wrap through this system, perhaps used to preheat intake air under some conditions, or maybe supply cabin heat. Look at where the rear most pipe external to the cowling seems to curl back down--on you photo it looks like maybe there's some kind of blower motor. You've shed a lot of light on this, but there's still a mystery about the exhaust stacks. I've searched in internet for photos, and the undersides of the cowls are free of openings. Somewhere there must be someone who knows the specifics of this system. Maybe reminiscent of the old aircooled VW heater exchangers??

(I'm digging for that. Probably does like DC3..down and out the bottom.)

And the correct answer is: at about the eleven and one o'clock positions, top rear of cowling, exhausting back over the wing. :-)

Many thanks--now I'll sleep better!