The Lycoming O-360 is a family of

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

, direct-drive, horizontally opposed,

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

s. Engines in the O-360 series produce between , with the basic O-360 producing . The engine family has been installed in thousands of aircraft, including the Cessna 172, Piper Cherokee/Archer, Grumman Tiger, and many home-built types. It has a factory rated time between overhaul (TBO) of 2000 hours or twelve years. O-360 family engines are also widely used in

airboat An airboat (also known as a planeboat, swamp boat, bayou boat, or fanboat) is a flat-bottomed watercraft propelled by an aircraft-type propeller and powered by either an aircraft or automotive engine. It is commonly used for fishing, hunting, r ...

s, most notably in the Hurricane Aircats used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The first O-360 certified was the A1A model, certified on 20 July 1955 to United States CAR 13 effective March 5, 1952 as amended by 13-1 and 13-2. The Lycoming IO-390 is an O-360 which has had its cylinder bore increased by , developing .

Series

The O-360 family of engines comprises 167 different models with 12 different prefixes. All have a displacement and bore and

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. * O-360 carbureted series * HO-360 horizontally mounted series for helicopter installation * LO-360 same as O-360, but with left-hand rotating crankshaft, for use in pairs on twin-engined aircraft * TO-360

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

series * LTO-360 turbocharged left-hand rotation series * IO-360

fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...

series * LIO-360 same as IO-360, but with left-hand rotating crankshaft * AIO-360 inverted mount (dry sump aerobatic) fuel-injected series * AEIO-360 aerobatic fuel-injected series * HIO-360 horizontally mounted fuel-injected series for helicopters * LHIO-360 left-hand rotation, fuel-injected, horizontally mounted for helicopters * TIO-360 turbocharged and fuel-injected series

Variants

Applications

;O-360 ;LO-360 * Beechcraft Duchess * Piper PA-44-180 Seminole ;IO-360 ;LIO-360 LIO360engine

* Piper PA-34 Seneca I * Diamond DA42 ;AIO-360 * Stephens Akro ;AEIO-360 * Aero-Cam Slick 360 * Aviat Eagle II * American Champion Super Decathlon *

Extra EA-200 The Extra 200 (Type EA-200) is a two-seat, tandem arrangement, low-wing aerobatic monoplane with conventional ( taildragger) landing gear fully capable of Unlimited category competition, built by Extra Flugzeugbau. Designed by Walter Extra, it ...

* FFA AS-202 Bravo * Great Lakes Sport Trainer * Grob G 115E * Mudry CAP 10 * Peña Capeña *

Pitts Special The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatics, aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes domina ...

* Tech Aero TR 200 * Valmet L-70 Vinka * Zlín Z 242 ;HIO-360 * Enstrom F-28 * OH-23 Raven * Schweizer 300 ;LHIO-360 * Silvercraft SH-3 * Silvercraft SH-4

Specifications (O-360-A1A)

References

External links