In this second number of the _Smithsonian Annals of Flight_, Robert B.
Meyer Jr., curator and head of the flight propulsion division, tells the
story of the first oil-burning engine to power an airplane, the Packard
diesel engine of 1928, now in the collections of the National Air
Museum.
The author's narrative, well illustrated with drawings and photographs,
provides a historical background for the development of the engine, and
a technical description that includes specifications and details of
performance. It also contains comments from men and women who flew
planes powered by the Packard diesel. The author concludes with an
analysis of the engine's advantages and disadvantages.