Pitcairn Aircraft Company
Encyclopedia
Autogyro
An autogyro , also known as gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane, is a type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller, similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft, to provide thrust...
, the company, later known as the Autogyro Company of America among other names, would remain in business until 1948.
History
Harold Frederick PitcairnHarold Frederick Pitcairn
Harold F. Pitcairn was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played a key role in the development of the autogyro and founded the Autogiro Company of America...
, the youngest son of PPG Industries
PPG Industries
PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion...
founder, John Pitcairn, Jr founded Pitcairn Aircraft Company. The business started with the formation of Pitcairn Flying School and Passenger Service in 1924 which later became Eastern Airlines.
In 1926, Pitcairn started Pitcairn Aircraft Company initially to build aircraft for his growing airmail service. He purchased a field in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and built Pitcairn Field no. 2.
Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing
-References:...
was built at the Bryn Athyn field. In 1927, Pitcairn brought aboard a friend and designer from his apprenticeship days at Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
, Agnew E. Larson
Agnew E. Larson
Agnew E. Larson was an American aircraft engineer who designed a series of pioneering airmail aircraft, and engineered progressive improvements to rotary wing aircraft that are in use in most modern helicopters currently.- Early life :...
. Larson left the Thomas-Morse Aircraft
Thomas-Morse Aircraft
The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, until it was taken over by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1929.Founded by English expatriates William T. and his brother Oliver W...
company to join Pitcairn. In June 1927, the state of the art Wright Whirlwind
Wright Whirlwind
The Wright R-975 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of about 975 in³ and power ratings of 300-450 hp...
powered Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing was introduced for airmail service. The plane proved popular and was bought by thirteen other companies. In 1928, Pitcairn purchased a Cierva C.8W and the American manufacturing rights from Juan de la Cierva
Juan de la Cierva
Juan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of De La Cierva was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and aeronuatical engineer. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1920 of the Autogiro, a single-rotor type of aircraft that came to be called autogyro in the English language...
for his autogiro designs for $300,000. In 1929, Pitcairn formed a separate patent holding company to build autogiros, the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company, which was later renamed the Autogiro Company of America. Kellett autogyros competed with, and eventually licensed production rights from Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company for $300,000. As a part of the licensing agreement, Pitcairn used Cierva's copyrighted variant of the name autogiro (spelt with an i) as opposed to the currently more common spelling of autogyro which was initially used to bypass his copyright.
Clement Keys
Clement Keys was an English football secretary-manager, who performed that role at West Bromwich Albion from 1895 to 1896.-External links:...
personally bought all the shares of Pitcairn Aviation (The airline and flying school) for 2.5 million dollars, and resold them two weeks later to North American Aviation
North American Aviation
North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
, which renamed the company Eastern Air Transport, and finally Eastern Airlines. From this point on, Pitcairn focused on autogiros.
In 1931 the company was renamed to the Autogiro Company of America (ACA). In 1931, The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
made history when they bought the first Pitcairn PCA-2
Pitcairn PCA-2
-External links:*...
for use as a news aircraft due to it ability to fly well at low altitude and speed, land and take off from restricted spaces and semi-hover for better camera shots. This PCA-2 was the ancestor of today's news helicopters. Also in 1931, pilot James G. Ray landed an autogiro on the South lawn of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. Harold F. Pitcairn, the pilot and three other company members of the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company were present to receive the Collier Trophy
Collier Trophy
The Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautics Association , presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space...
for their development of the autogyro.
In 1932, autogyro inventor Cierva was greeted by U.S. President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, who predicted in the future we would have large transport autogyros. Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
borrowed a company Pitcairn PCA-2 model. She arranged for the National Aeronautics Association to monitor the flight. Members of the New York press and Movietone News
Movietone News
Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.-History:It is known in the U.S. as Fox Movietone News, produced cinema, sound newsreels from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK , and from 1929 to 1975 in...
were invited to watch. On her second flight, she remained airborne for about three hours and set a woman's autogiro altitude record of 18,415 feet. Later she toured the country for Beech-Nut Packing Company
Beech-Nut
Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation is a baby food company that is currently owned by the Swiss branded consumer-goods firm Hero Group.- History :...
in a bright green autogiro. On the return trip she crash landed in Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
earning her a reprimand from the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
. A second crash at the Michigan state fair, caused a unintended injury of her husband's ankle as he ran to the scene.
In 1933, the parent company and conventional aircraft manufacturing arm, Pitcairn Aircraft Company merged with the autogiro arm, following the end of Mailwing production, and contract air-mail flights.
On December 9, 1936 Juan de la Cierva died in a crash of a KLM DC-2. As a member of the board of directors of the Cierva Autogiro Company
Cierva Autogiro Company
The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British developer of autogyros established in 1926.It was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scottish industrialist and aviator.-History:...
, Pitcairn was shocked to learn shortly afterward that the company had also licensed technology in Europe to the German Focke Achgelis Company
Focke-Achgelis
Focke-Achgelis & Co. G.m.b.H. was a German helicopter company founded in 1937 by Henrich Focke and Gerd Achgelis.-History:In 1936 Focke had been ousted from the Focke-Wulf company he had cofounded in 1924 by shareholder pressure...
creating competition to the autogiro with a practical helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61
Focke-Wulf Fw 61
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Coates, Steve and Jean-Christophe Carbonel. Helicopters of the Third Reich. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903223-24-5....
.
In 1938, the company was renamed to the Pitcairn-Larson Autogiro company, and again in 1940 to the AGA Aviation Corporation.
In 1942, Pitcairn sold his airfield and facilities to the United States military for $480,000, forming the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove. AGA Aviation was now renamed to G and A Aviation, and became part of Goodyear Tire and Rubber. Pitcairn reduced royalties for 19 in house patents and 145 licensed patents to subcontractors of the government during wartime. After 1946, other manufacturers continued to produce helicopters without paying royalties. The company was dissolved in 1948. Pitcairn continued to pursue litigation for use of the patents by other firms in 1951 that stretched into a 1977 Supreme Court Case awarding Pitcairn's estate 32 million dollars.
Military operations
In 1931, the US Navy evaluated a PCA-2, with the designation Pitcairn OPPitcairn OP
|-References:* Polmar, Norman and Dana Bell. One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft.. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2004. ISBN 1-59114-686-0....
on the aircraft carrier USS Langley
USS Langley
USS Langley may refer to:, the first aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, converted from the collier Jupiter in 1922, and scuttled in February 1942 after being disabled by the Japanese, laid down 10 July 1942 and renamed Hammann on 1 August 1942...
, being the first rotor wing aircraft to land on a ship at sea in history.
In 1940 6 Pitcairn PA-18
Pitcairn PA-18
-References:...
autogyros were converted to Pitcairn PA-39 models for convoy escorts for the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
.
Survivors
Pitcairn's influence on early airmail service and rotary-wing flight have inspired several museums to display Pitcairn aircraft prominently.- The EAA AirVenture MuseumEAA AirVenture MuseumThe EAA AirVenture Museum is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historical and experimental aircraft located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin adjacent to the Wittman Regional Airport. Paul Poberezny proposed the idea of the EAA Air Museum-Air Education center in August 1958. The current...
in Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
built a replica Pitcairn hangar on its Pioneer Airport filled with Pitcairn displays. Harold Pitcairn's son, Steve Pitcairn (1925–2008) remained active restoring Pitcairn aircraft, including a Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing, A Pitcairn PCA-2Pitcairn PCA-2-External links:*...
"Miss Champion", a PA-7S Sport Mailwing, and a Pitcairn PA-39. donated to the museum
- The National Air and Space MuseumNational Air and Space MuseumThe National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
in Washington D.C. has a Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing on display in Eastern Air Transport US Mail No 19 markings.
- The The Henry Ford MuseumThe Henry FordThe Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...
in Dearborn, MichiganDearborn, Michigan-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
has a Pitcairn PCA-2Pitcairn PCA-2-External links:*...
on display in the markings of Detroit News No 2.
- The Old Rhinebeck AerodromeOld Rhinebeck AerodromeThe Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a museum of World War I aircraft and antique automobiles that is located in Red Hook, New York, USA.-History:The aerodrome was the creation of Cole Palen, who was partially inspired by the Shuttleworth Collection in England. He regularly flew many of the aircraft...
has a Pitcairn PA-6 Super mailwing in Eastern Air Transport US Mail (CAM No 77) markings, painted black and yellow in one of their static display hangars.
- The Virginia Aviation MuseumVirginia Aviation MuseumThe Virginia Aviation Museum is an aviation museum in Richmond, Virginia, adjacent to Richmond International Airport . The museum houses a collection of some thirty four airframes, both owned and on-loan, ranging from reproductions of Wright Brothers kite gliders to the still state-of-the-art SR-71...
has a Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing in Eastern Air Transport US Mail (CAM No 27) markings, painted similarly to the Old Rhinebeck PA-6.
- A Pitcairn PA-8 Super Mailwing formerly owned by Steve McQueenSteve McQueenTerrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
is currently in private hands with The Woodlands Toy Store of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
), having been fully restored in silver and green, but it has flown in a number of airshows in the Northeast, including at Geneseo, New YorkGeneseo, New YorkGeneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
.
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing Pitcairn PA-1 Fleetwing -References:... |
- | 5 passenger commercial biplane | |
| Pitcairn PA-2 Sesquiwing Pitcairn PA-2 Sesquiwing -References:... |
1 | Commercial Biplane | |
| Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing | 35 | Commercial Biplane | |
| Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II | 10 | Sport Biplane | |
| Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing | 106 | Commercial Airmail Biplane | |
| Pitcairn PA-6 Super Mailwing | - | PA-5 mailwing modified with more cargo capacity | |
| Pitcairn PA-7 Super Mailwing | 28 | PA-6 mailwing with 3 passenger capacity | |
| Pitcairn PA-8 Super Mailwing | 6 | PA-7 mailwing with a Wright J-6 engine | |
| Pitcairn PA-18 Pitcairn PA-18 -References:... |
51 | Gyrocopter | |
| Pitcairn PA-19 | 1 | R-975 powered autogyro with enclosed cabin | |
| Pitcairn PA-20 | Kinner R-5 Kinner R-5 |-See also:-References:* http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/Duxford/usaero4.htm... powered autogyro |
||
| Pitcairn PA-21 | R-975 powered autogyro | ||
| Pitcairn PA-22 | 1 | Small wingless autogyro with folding rotors | |
| Pitcairn PA-24 | 1 | twin tailed version of PA-20 | |
| Pitcairn PA-32 | Enclosed Biplane | ||
| Pitcairn PA-33 | 1 | gyrocopter | |
| Pitcairn PA-34 - Pitcairn XOP-1 | 3 | US NAVY gyrocopter variant | |
| Pitcairn PA-36 | 1 | All aluminum bodied gyrocopter | |
| Pitcairn PA-38 | 0 | military gryrocopter concept | |
| Pitcairn PA-39 | 6 | Fleet Air Arm Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters... convoy escorts |
|
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcairn PCA-1 | Autogyro | ||
| Pitcairn PCA-2 Pitcairn PCA-2 -External links:*... |
51 | Autogyro | |
| Pitcairn PCA-3 | 1 | Autogyro |
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autogiro Company of America AC-35 Autogiro Company of America AC-35 |-See also:-Notes:* Popular Science Monthly, October 1933, conceptual drawing based on information supplied by manufacture... |
1 | Roadable Autogyro | |
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcairn XO-61 | 1 | Autogyro | |