The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928

An account of the first oil-burning engine to power an airplane traces its rapid design and development by company engineers and licensed designers, documents bench and flight tests, and chronicles production attempts. Technical sections describe construction, operating cycles, specifications, weight-saving and combustion features, and include diagrams and photographs. The work reports performance demonstrations and a long-duration nonrefueled flight, and compiles contemporary comments from pilots and engineers. It concludes with an analysis of operational advantages and disadvantages and reproduces supporting documents such as agreements, test reports, manuals, and technical appendices.