Guiberson A-1020

Guiberson A-1020
A T-1020 variant on display
Type	Diesel radial engine
National origin	United States of America
Manufacturer	Guiberson Diesel Engine Company
Designed by	Fred A. Thaheld[1]
First run	January 1940[2]
Major applications	Stinson Reliant
Developed from	Guiberson A-980

The Guiberson A-1020 is a four-stroke diesel radial engine developed for use in aircraft and tanks.

Design and development

Development of the Guiberson diesel engine started in the 1930s with the A-918 and A-980 which was first flown in 1931. It is a single-row direct drive nine-cylinder four-cycle engine.^[2][3]

Operational history

Production A-1020's and T-1020's were designed and sold by Guiberson and produced by Buda Engine Co.^[2][4]

Variants

Guiberson A-980

210 hp - the initial development model for use on aircraft.^[2]

Guiberson A-1020

340 hp - production engines for aircraft use.^[2]

Guiberson T-1020

250 hp for use in light tanks such as the M5 Stuart ^[2][5]

Applications

• Waco 10 - A-980^[2]
• Stinson Reliant - A-1020^[2]
• M5 Stuart light tank - T-1020^[2]

Survivors

A Guiberson Diesel radial engine at the Frontiers of Flight Museum

• The EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin has a T-1020 on display.
• There is a T-1020 on display at the New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT.^[6]
• Mustang Airport in Galt, California has three running T-1020's on display.
• There is a Guiberson T-1020 on display at the Western North Carolina Air Museum in Hendersonsonville, NC

Specifications (A-1020)

Data from ^[2] Engine History.org

General characteristics

• Type: 9-cylinder air-cooled radial diesel piston engine
• Bore: 5.125 in (130.18 mm)
• Stroke: 5.5 in (139.70 mm)
• Displacement: 1,021 cu in (16.73 l)
• Dry weight: 650 lb (290 kg)
• Designer: F. A. Thaheld

Components

• Valvetrain: two pushrod operated valves per cylinder
• Fuel system: Guiberson system fuel injection

Performance

• Power output: 340 hp (250 kW)
• Compression ratio: 15:1
• Specific fuel consumption: .42 lb/hp.hr (0.26 kg/kWh)
• Oil consumption: 0.33 US gall/hr (1.25 l/hr
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.52 hp/lb (0.85 kW/kg)

See also

• Clerget 9A
• Packard DR-980

References

1. "Lightplane Diesel". Flying. July 1946.
2. "Engine History". Retrieved 20 January 2012.
3. Paul Howard Wilkinson. Aircraft Diesels.
4. The Aeroplane, Volume 59.
5. Arthur William Judge. Aircraft engines, Volume 2.
6. Guiberson T-1020 Diesel Engine, New England Air Museum

• "The Guiberson Aero Diesel", Flight, 2 January 1941, p. 9