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Here is a link I posted last March to Smithsonian Air and Flight on the Packard Aero-Diesel

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancont ... ight/text/SAOF-0001.2.txt

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I don't think the primary concern was about weight trade-off, but rather increased reliability. No spark ignition system, no spark ignition system to service, maintain, repair, or break. Packard's attempt to simplify an aircraft engine.

(o{I}o)

Additional detailed information on the The Packard radial diesel engine.

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/AnnalsofFlight/pdf_hi/SAOF-0001.2.pdf

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Thanks, Don. It's fun to pass this stuff around!

The record is an important milestone, not just for diesel powered craft (a pretty small minority) but for any type of single engine aircraft.

The Packard diesel was fitted in a Bellanca J2 that set a world's record for a non-refueling airplane flight, May 25-28, 1931, of 84 hours and 33 minutes, a distance of about 6600 miles. The record stood until 1986 when the twin engine Rutan Voyager flew for 216 hours, 3 minutes, 44 seconds.

Yet Packard held the record for sustained flight of a single engine equipped aircraft until 2006, when the GlobalFlyer flew nonstop airplane flight around the world in a time of 67 hours 1 minute from February 28, 2005 until March 3, 2005. The flight speed of 590.7 km/h (342.2 mph) broke the Absolute World Record for the fastest nonstop unrefueled circumnavigation. It was also a solo flight, setting another record.

But when you look at the new endurance record holders versus the Bellanca, you just have to laugh that the Packard Diesel is still in THIRD PLACE!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_endurance_record

Here's a nice little bio of Walter Lees, pilot on the Bellanca Packard Diesel flight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Edwin_Lees

He made the flight with fellow aviator Frederick Brossy.

'Ere is a pict of one o' them li'l boats with a quad o' Packard marine engines 'at set a few water speed records as well.

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Someone was nice enough to post this article in its original text. Thought I'd give it a bump.

https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=11219&cid=89

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I will try it nevertheless. In 1931 the Packard Diesel Aero engine was awarded as "the greatest achievement in aeronautics in America"!

COLLIER TROPHY AWARDED TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR CO.

On March 31, 1931, President Hoover presented the Packard Motor Car Company the 1931 Robert J. Collier Trophy, America's highest aviation award, for its developement of the diesel engine. Alvan Macauley, President of the Packard Motor Car Company, accepted the trophy. "We do not claim, Mr. President, that we have reached the final developement, even though our diesel aircraft engine is an accomplished fact and we have the pioneer's joy of knowing that we have successfully accomplished what had never been done before...."

Other laureates:

Glenn H. Curtiss
Orville Wright
Charles E. Yeager




[source:http://home.earthlink.net/~ralphcooper/pimage60.htm]

Just a point of interest a modern F/A18 Naval aircraft is fueled by essentially diesel fuel with some additives to keep it from icing ect. I have known several people who put it in their modern diesel trucks with no issues.

I wonder what happened to the trophy

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According to Wikipedia, the trophy is on permanent display at the U.S. National Air and Space Museum.