Foreign-order engines commonly carried a G designation, although the label did not always identify a sharply different powerplant. Advertised horsepower was a sea-level figure: an early Cyclone could fall to roughly 750 horsepower at 15,000 feet, and output continued to decline above that height. Early engines also suffered lubrication trouble, which mattered in a fighter maneuvering at steep angles. Dan Ford's account of the 1938 competition describes the F2A as handling like a sports car and the contemporary F4F-2 like a pickup truck. It also presents the Cyclone as the safer bet before its operational problems became apparent. Later defects should therefore be weighed against the evidence available when the Navy made its selection.
Notable Point · 15:01-16:45
Export engines and the Cyclone's altitude penalty
Export labels, sea-level horsepower figures, weak high-altitude output, and early lubrication trouble complicate any simple reading of the Buffalo's engine specifications.