The Pitcairn PCA-2 was an autogyro (designated as "autogiro" by Pitcairn) developed in the United States in the early 1930s.[1] It was Harold F. Pitcairn's first autogyro design to be sold in quantity. It had a conventional design for its day – an airplane-like fuselage with two open cockpits in tandem, and an engine mounted tractor-fashion in the nose.[2] The lift by the four-blade main rotor was augmented by stubby, low-set monoplane wings that also carried the control surfaces.[2] The wingtips featured considerable dihedral that acted as winglets for added stability.[2]
| PCA-2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| A PCA-2 operated by the Beech-Nut corporation | |
| Role | Utility autogyro |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company |
| Designer | Harold F. Pitcairn |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Number built | 20–30 |
| Variants | Pitcairn OP-1 |
Operational history
editThe PCA-2 was the first rotary-wing aircraft to achieve type certification in the United States[3] and was used in a number of high-profile activities including a landing on the White House lawn[4][5] and the first flight across the United States in a rotorcraft. This latter feat was attempted by Amelia Earhart, flying for the Beech-Nut food company, but was actually accomplished by John M Miller who completed his flight nine days before Earhart on 28 May 1931, in his PCA-2 named Missing Link.[6] Learning of Miller's achievement upon her arrival in California, Earhart set out to turn her flight into a round-trip record by flying east again, but abandoned the attempt after three crashes.[6] Earhart set an altitude record in a PCA-2 on 8 April 1931 with a height of 18,415 ft (5,615 m). [7][2][3][4] This record was broken in another PCA-2 by Lewis Yancey who flew to 21,500 ft (6,600 m) on 25 September 1932.[3][8]
In 1931, The Detroit News made history when it bought a PCA-2 for use as a news aircraft due to its ability to fly well at low altitude, land and take off from restricted spaces, and semi-hover for better camera shots. In May 1933, Scripps donated the autogyro to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.[9]
The Champion spark plug company operated a PCA-2 as a promotional machine in 1931 and 1932 as Miss Champion.[4] It was flown over 6,500 miles in the 1931 Ford National Reliability Air Tour. This machine was restored to flying condition in 1982 by Steve Pitcairn, Harold's son.[4] In 2005, he donated it to the EAA AirVenture Museum.[4] Other PCA-2s are preserved at The Henry Ford[4][10] and the Canada Aviation Museum.[11]
Variants
edit- PCA-2 – major production version[2][3]
- PCA-3 – version with Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine and 48-ft (14.63-m) rotor[2] (1 built)[3]
- PA-21 – version with Wright R-975-E2 engine[2][3]
- OP-1 – Reconnaissance autogyro (1931); two aircraft acquired by the United States Navy (USN) in 1931 for trials, with limited success.
Operators (OP-1)
editSpecifications (PCA-2)
editGeneral characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 2 passengers
- Length: 23 ft 1 in (7.04 m)
- Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
- Airfoil: NACA M-3 mod
- Empty weight: 2,233 lb (1,013 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,000 lb (1,361 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-975 (J6-9) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 330 hp (250 kW)
- Main rotor diameter: 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m)
- Main rotor area: 1,580 sq ft (147 m2) 4-bladed wire braced rotor
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch wooden propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 120 mph (190 km/h, 100 kn)
- Range: 290 mi (470 km, 250 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 15,010 ft (4,575 m)
- Maximum glide ratio: 4.8
See also
editRelated development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Taylor 1989, p.735
- ^ a b c d e f g The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, p.2739
- ^ a b c d e f "Pitcairn, A G A, Pitcairn-Cierva, Pitcairn-Larsen"
- ^ a b c d e f "Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro 'Miss Champion' – NC11609"
- ^ Charnov 2003b, p.3
- ^ a b Charnov 2003a
- ^ "Miss Earhart Sets Autogiro Record", The New York Times, April 9, 1931, p. 1
- ^ Charnov 2003b, p.6
- ^ Ford Richardson Bryan, Sarah Evans. Henry's attic: some fascinating gifts to Henry Ford and his museum.
- ^ "The Planes: 1931 Pitcairn Autogiro"
- ^ "Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-2"
- ^ Eckland, K.O. "Pitcairn, A G A, Pitcairn-Cierva, Pitcairn-Larsen". Aerofiles. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Duda, Holger; Insa Pruter (2012). "FLIGHT PERFORMANCE OF LIGHTWEIGHT GYROPLANES" (PDF). German Aerospace Center. p. 5. Retrieved 3 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Retrieved 2 September 2017.
Bibliography
edit- Charnov, Bruce H. (2003a). "Amelia Earhart, John M. Miller and the First Transcontinental Autogiro Flight in 1931". The Aviation History On-Line Museum. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- Charnov, Bruce H. (2003b). From Autogiro to Gyroplane: The Amazing Survival of an Aviation Technology. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.
- "Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-2". Canada Aviation Museum website. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- "Pitcairn, A G A, Pitcairn-Cierva, Pitcairn-Larsen". Aerofiles. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- "Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro 'Miss Champion' – NC11609". AirVenture Museum website. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- "Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Specifications". AirVenture Museum website. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
- "The Planes: 1931 Pitcairn Autogiro". The Henry Ford website. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.