SUN-GAZETTE FILE PHOTO An aerial view of Lycoming Engines’ plant in Williamsport near the Garden View neighborhood of Old Lycoming Township and Lycoming Creek.

What some may not be familiar with is that Lycoming Engines also provides piston aircraft engines for military training schools and other specialized applications.

The manufacturer at 652 Oliver St., an operating division of Avco Corporation, has a history of manufacturing excellence in Williamsport, said Sandra Massey, Lycoming Engines senior vice president.

The company’s history goes back to when the Demorest Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1845 by a woman – Ellen Demorest – who created the pattern process for clothing and began producing sewing machines out of the existing factory.

Through the years, the company name and products adapted and changed to serve customer needs, including wartime manufacturing support during World War I and World War II.

In the early 1900s, Lycoming Foundry and Machine Co. began producing automobile engines – many of which powered Auburns, Cords, and Duesenbergs – which are sometimes even seen on the Pennsylvania College of Technology campus, thanks to an automotive restoration program, Massey said.

In 1929, Lycoming Engines produced its first aviation engine: a nine-cylinder R-680 radial, which powered aircraft such as Stinsons and Stearmans.

“We have been powering flight worldwide for over 95 years, and we are looking forward to what the next 95 years will bring,” Massey said.