The Packard Diesel engine was designed and built by the Packard Motor Car Company, and won the 1931 Collier Trophy. The objective was to achieve greater safety and economy through use of heavy oil (furnace oil) as fuel. However, the engine also reputedly suffered from smell and vibration.

Issued Type Certificate No. 43 by the Department of Commerce in March 1930; the engine was publicly shown for the first time during the Detroit Aircraft Show in April 1930. Installed in a Bellanca aircraft, it set a world's non-refueled duration flight record of 84.5 hours in May 1931 at Jacksonville, Florida.

This artifact is the original Packard Diesel engine, the first compression ignition, oil-burning engine flown. The DR-980 powered such aircraft as the: Stinson SM-1DX Detroiter; Packard-Bellanca Pacemaker; Verville Air Coach; Ford 11-AT-1 Trimotor; Goodyear Defender airship; Towle FA-3 Flying boat; Stewart M-2 Monoplane; Waco Taper Wing; and Consolidated XPT-8A aircraft.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date Circa 1930 Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary Manufacturer Packard Motor Car Company (Detroit, Michigan)
 Physical Description Type: Reciprocating, 9 cylinders, radial, air-cooled Power rating: 168 kW (225 hp) at 1,950 rpm Displacement: 16.1 L (982 cu in.) Bore and Stroke: 122 mm (4.8 in.) x 152 mm (6.0 in.) Weight: 232 kg (510 lb) Dimensions Diameter 116 cm (34.7 in.), Length 87.3 cm (34.4 in.)
 Materials HAZ MAT: Cadmium Plating
Aluminum
Steel
Paint
Copper Alloy
Rubber
Chrome Plating
Nickel Plating
 Inventory Number A19320007000 Credit Line Gift of the Packard Motor Car Company. Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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