The Lycoming GSO-580 is a family of eight-cylinder
horizontally opposed
A flat engine is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. Flat engines are also known as horizontally opposed engines, however this is distinct from the less common opposed-piston engine design, wh ...
,
supercharged
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
,
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
-equipped aircraft engines for both airplanes and
helicopters
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
, manufactured by
Lycoming Engines
Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines including the only FAA-certi ...
in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The family includes the original GSO-580
fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...
engine series, as well as the later SO-580 and VSO-580 helicopter engines. There is no non-supercharged, non-geared version of the engine, which would have been designated O-580 and therefore the base model is the GSO-580.
Design and development
The GSO-580 family of engines covers a range from to . All have a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
of and the cylinders have air-cooled
heads
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...
. Compared to other horizontally opposed engines of similar displacement this family of engines produces high output power by supercharging and high maximum rpm, at the cost of higher weight.
The GSO-580 series was
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
under Type Certificate 256, while the SO-580 and VSO-580 series were certified under type certificate 285. Both were manufactured under Production Certificate No. 3.
Variants
;O-580-1:Military variant similar to the GSO-580-D
;GSO-580
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PSH-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 91/98
avgas
Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...
. Designation indicates ''Geared, Supercharged, Opposed''.
;GSO-580-B
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PSH-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 100/130 avgas. Designation indicates ''Geared, Supercharged, Opposed''.
;GSO-580-C
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PS-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 91/98 avgas. Designation indicates ''Geared, Supercharged, Opposed''.
;GSO-580-D
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PS-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 100/130 avgas. Designation indicates ''Geared, Supercharged, Opposed''.
;SO-580-A1A
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PS-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 100/130 avgas. Designation indicates ''Supercharged, Opposed''. Designed for horizontal or up to 35 degrees nose-up helicopter installation.
;SO-580-A1B
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PS-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 100/130 avgas. Designation indicates ''Supercharged, Opposed''. Designed for horizontal or up to 35 degrees nose-up helicopter installation.
;VSO-580-A1A
:Eight-cylinder, horizontally opposed, geared-drive, supercharged, , at 3300 rpm for take-off, at 3000 rpm continuous, dry weight , Bendix PS-9BDE carburetor. Minimum fuel grade 100/130 avgas. Designation indicates ''Vertical-mounted, Supercharged, Opposed''. Designed for vertical helicopter installation.
Applications
;GSO-580
*
Beechcraft Model 34
*
Cessna 308
The Cessna 308 was a prototype military light transport aircraft based on the successful O-1 Bird Dog (Cessna 305) observation aircraft. Only one aircraft was completed, and the project did not proceed further due to a lack of orders.
Devel ...
*
Fairchild XNQ
The Fairchild XNQ (T-31; Model M-92) is an American trainer designed as a standard primary trainer for the United States Navy during the 1940s.
Design and development
Designed by Fairchild Aircraft as a replacement for current primary trainer ...
;SO-580
*
Doman LZ-5
Specifications (VSO-580-A1A)
See also
References
{{Lycoming aeroengines
GSO-580
1950s aircraft piston engines