made the world's
first diesel-powered flight on September 19, 1928. (Photo courtesy of
Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan.)]

[Illustration: Figure 7.--Packard-Bellanca "Pacemaker." This airplane,
powered by a Packard DR-980 diesel, holds the world's record for
nonrefueling, heavier-than-air aircraft duration flight. The flight
lasted 84 hours, 33 minutes, 1-1/4 seconds, and was completed on May 28,
1931, Jacksonville, Florida. (Smithsonian photo A48446B.)]

[Illustration: Figure 8.--Verville "Air Coach," October 1930.
(Smithsonian photo A48844.)]

[Illustration: Figure 9.--Packard-Bellanca "Pacemaker" owned by
Transamerican Airlines Corporation and used by Parker D. Cramer, pilot,
and Oliver L. Paquette, radio operator, in their flight from Detroit,
Michigan, to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, summer 1931. (Smithsonian photo
A200.)]

[Illustration: Figure 10.--Ford 11-AT-1 Trimotor, 1930, with 3 Packard
225-hp DR-980 diesel engines. Note special bracing for the outboard
nacelles. (Smithsonian photo A48311B.)]

[Illustration: Figure 11.--Towle TA-3 Flying Boat, 1930, with 2 Packard
225-hp DR-980 diesel engines. (Smithsonian photo A48319.)]

[Illustration: Figure 12.--Stewart M-2 Monoplane, 1930, with 2 Packard
225-hp DR-980 diesel engines. (Smithsonian photo A48319C.)]

[Illustration: Figure 13.--Consolidated XPT-8A, 1930. This is a
Consolidated PT-3A powered by a DR-980 Packard diesel. (Smithsonian
photo A48319E.)]

The Robert J. Collier Trophy, America's highest aviation award, was won
by the Packard Motor Car Company in 1931 for its development of the
diesel engine. The formal presentation was made at the White House,
March 31, 1932, by President Hoover on behalf of the National Aeronautic
Association. Alvan Macauley, president of the Packard Motor Car Company,
accepted the trophy, saying: "We do not claim, Mr. President, that we
have reached the final development 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 not been done
before...."[8] The amazing early success of the Packard diesel is
illustrated by the following chronological summary:

1927--License agreement signed between Alvan Macauley and Hermann
I. A. Dorner to permit designing of the engine.

1928--First flight of a diesel-powered airplane accomplished.

1929--First cross-country flights accomplished.

1930--Pack